Sample This! - Sample This! (1993)

Sample This! consisted of musician/producer Anton Pukshansky and vocalist Traedonya.  Before joining together for the funk-jazz project, they came from very different backgrounds, but were both pursuing careers in hip hop.  Anton was born in Russia to a musical father and they moved to the US in 1979 when he was 15. He learned piano and guitar, and soon started experimenting with engineering.  He learned bass and recorded and independently released an electro-funk album in 1985 under the name Intellectrics.  As a result, he was soon involved in the flourishing world of hip-hop and got a job at Power Play Studios in Queens, NY in 1989, working with up-and-comers like Main Source and Kool G Rap.  Traedonya was born in North Carolina but was mainly brought up in the Bronx, NY.  She was discovered at 13 by "King Of The Beats" Pumpkin when he heard her rapping.  He introduced her to Aaron Fuchs, who owned the hip hop label Tuff City, and she recorded a double single "The Boogaloo"/"Sixteen" for the label in 1987.  From there she started working with hip hop collective X-Clan.  And this is where their stories merge.  Anton was working at Power Play with influential hip hop producer Large Professor, who was also working with Traedonya.  Anton and his friend Curtis Watts were making jazzy funk music at the studio in their spare time, and Traedonya happened to pass by and like what she heard.  She soon wrote and sang lyrics to Anton's music and they had a demo.  Anton was friends with Elektra Records' Dante Ross, who asked to hear the demos and liked what he heard.  They were soon signed to the label.  They recorded and released their album, as well as the only single, "Another Lie", which was remixed by Large Professor.  The music was a big departure from their hip hop roots, focusing mostly on classic funk and jazz.  But neither single nor album sold much (around 70,000 albums, according to Anton), and the label decided to drop them before they could complete a second album.  They sued the label and ended up winning back their masters and the budget for the second album.  After that Anton moved to California and has kept producing and engineering for major acts, even winning two Grammys, one in 1999 for Santana's Supernatural and one in 2004 for Ozomatli's Street Signs.  Traedonya went to college in New York to get her Fine Arts degree in jazz music and studied with some of the masters of the genre.  She also released some funky solo singles like "Naked Gun" in 1999, "Beloved" in 2003 and "I'll Give It 2 U" in 2009.  It was announced that an EP entitled High Fructose Corn Syrup was to be released in 2013 (and it was to include Sample This! tracks), as well as a new Sample This! album, but as far as I can tell both have yet to surface.  Follow Traedonya on her website and Facebook to find out if and when they are released.

Download Sample This!

1	Intro
2	Another Lie
3	Shake That Egg
4	Between The Tracks
5	Free Your Mind
6	Family Affair
7	Shady
8	Slippin Away
9	Rained On Me!
10	Get A J-O-B!
11	Dangerous Zone
12	Da Flex
13	Sample This!
14	Outro

Don't Talk Dance - Don't Talk, Dance! (1995)

Don't Talk Dance was a one-off project from three members of three successful (at the time) Canadian bands - Chris Brown Of Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar, and Tyler Stewart of Barenaked Ladies.  Though I was far from a fan of the latter two groups, I must admit I was curious about this album at the time.  To my surprise I ended up enjoying it as it is a funky jam session, and includes some really good and fun remakes like Madonna's "Into The Groove", Cameo's "Word Up", and Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" (which is actually track #77 on the album, after 64 blank mini-tracks).  The whole thing was basically a joke, according to Chris Brown.  It seems the boys used to hang out at a big house in Toronto and party with several friends, many of whom were also musicians.  The partying would eventually and obviously turn into a jam session, and many of these tracks were born at these parties, which explains the loose groove of the album.  The guys decided they should perform these tracks at a club, and thanks to the popularity of their groups, especially Barenaked Ladies, they even managed a record deal with Warner Music.  A live concert was held at Toronto's Ultrasound Showbar, and most of the album was recorded at that concert, though some songs were touched up or rerecorded. The record was promoted mainly as a solo outing for the Ladies' Stewart, though it really didn't gain much popularity.  (The boys were thoughtful enough to donate some of the proceeds to the Basset/Falk Cancer Research Foundation.)  Of course, they never planned for the band to be huge, and they still had their main bands to fall back on, which they did.  Since then Stewart has been recording and touring with the Ladies, while Johnson has continued on with Big Sugar and fellow 90s Canadian band Wide Mouth Mason.  Brown has released solo work as well as albums with fellow BTC member Kate Fenner, who also appears on this album.

Video for Theme From DTD

Download Don't Talk, Dance!

1		Theme From DTD
2		The Ketchup Song (Digable Potatoes Mix)
3		Jake's Rant
4		You've Been Instrumental
5		Funky Dollar Bill
6		Sweet Beets
7		Theme From Sanford And Son
8		Word Up
9		Fred And Barney Miller
10		Into The Groove
11		Bold As Love
12		Zap Beets
13		Dreams

Gypsy Sōl - Sudden Move (1998)

So I was looking through some old boxes of CDs and I ran across this dusty one.  I'm sure I picked it up for $1 somewhere and am sure I only listened to it once, so I had no idea what it sounded like.  Thinking of this blog, I pressed play and am glad I did as it is quite good and perfect for the Isle!  A little research reveals that the band was originally known as Gypsy Soul and released one independent album, but had to change the spelling of their name due to an American group using the same name.  Formed in Toronto in the mid-90s, they were originally a heavy funk rock band, with a male lead singer.  After exploring R&B, they swapped their lead singer for Katey Morley, and with her came a more pop rock sound, albeit with healthy doses of funk and jazz and even trip hop.  With Morley on lead vocals, the total count was seven members: Darren Shearer (drums, percussion, didgeridoo, human beatbox), Evan Cranley (trombone, congas), Ewan Miller (guitar), Trevor Bedard (bass, acoustic guitar), Nat Roman (guitar), and Cathy Craig (trumpet, percussion - interestingly Cathy also appeared on my last postee What Is's album as well).  The band toured locally and eventually caught the interest of Universal Records.  Their album was well reviewed, as were their shows, but the band remained only a local success, and some believed their change to a poppier sound may have been their undoing.  They broke up, and since then many of the members have went on to greater success.  Darren Shearer immediately went on to form progressive electronic trio The New Deal, who broke up in 2011.  Evan Cranley is a member of both successful indie pop band Stars and hugely successful indie rock collective Broken Social Scene.  Ewan Miller and Trevor Bedard have recorded and toured with independent singer-songwriter Amanda Kaye.  And Katey Morley has done session work for other acts in genres as diverse as jazz and trance, and also formed her own jazz band.  She is currently a solo act, touring around her native Toronto in support of her folk-jazz solo work when not busy at her job as a DJ.

Download Sudden Move

1		Dinner For Two
2		Quitters
3		Leakin' Out The Bottom
4		Hooked
5		Sudden Move
6		I'm Sure You'll Be Pleased
7		Green Butterfly
8		Together Again
9		Same Day
10		Deeper Down
11		Unfinished

What Is - Que Es (2001)

One genre that is under-represented on the Isle is jazz.  While I'm not a huge jazz fan, I do like elements of it mixed into my pop music.  The only album by What Is is a perfect mix of both with a lot of Latin flavour as well.  What Is was formed in 2000 by bassist D'Arcy McGuire.  In his hometown of Toronto he brought together drummer/percussionist Jason Guerriere, guitarist Justin McWilliams and vocalist Rubi to form the core of the group.  With help from several other musicians including a cellist, trumpeter and violinist, the group crafted an upbeat and danceable album that is equal parts pop, jazz, latin (specifically bossa nova) and funk.  Rubi sings primarily in English though occasionally breaks out into Spanish.  Though the album got some attention locally in Toronto, it was released independently and didn't find much of an audience outside of the city.  Though it seemed that was the end of the group, Darcy and Rubi kept at it, forming SolaZul the same year with guitarist Juan Dino Toledo.  They kept their Latin-jazz-funk flavour, but this time around they hooked up with Toronto drum 'n' bass and jungle duo Visionary to give them an electronic edge and together they released the track "Sola Bossa" to much greater recognition.  This success led to a self-titled album in 2005 on Canadian electronic label Nice+Smooth and, with assistance from Visionary, tracks like "Paixão" and "Baila!" furthered their success in the drum 'n' bass world, while Rubi's exploration of other languages ensured greater worldwide success.  The album was released in Japan in 2007 with a follow-up album, Amame, released the following year.  Nothing much has been heard from them since, but according to D'Arcy, who works now primarily as a composer and producer, SolaZul is still going strong.

UPDATE:  Just got an e-mail from D'Arcy McGuire.  Apparently he did NOT from What Is.  So much for my sources. LOL  But Sola Zul is releasing a new album entitled Calor very soon, of which he gave me a taste.  Thanks so much D'Arcy!!  Here's what else he had to say...

"hey weirdly ran across this article about Que Es...a little weird since no I didn't start it etc...myself? I'm still writing but mostly for picture altho I still play bass on a variety of things known and unknown...from Nicki Minaj...to well...Sol Azul lol  Cheers!! D'"

Download Que Es

1		Amar
2		Diamonds In The Desert
3		Hit It Off
4		Calor
5		Vivir Asi
6		Insatiable
7		Walk On By
8		Deeper Than Skin
9		Reveal
10		Piano Soul
11		Love You Tonite
12		Bare

Heather Mullen - Heather Mullen (1991)

So, once again I present an artist who I cannot find a thing about on the internet. All I know is that she released one self-titled album on EastWest Records, which was produced by two men, one who earlier produced acts like The Flirts and Divine, and one who later was a guitarist on songs by the likes of J. Lo and Celine Dion. Heather's album is nothing like those artists, however. The other day I was on a long car ride and popped this CD in, and once again I was stunned by it's simple beauty. Heather has a very clear, strong voice, reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, and her lyrics are very uplifting. It's a very pleasant pop-folk album. Basically, if you like the work of Des'ree, you should love this, as it sounds to me like it could be a lost Des'ree album (but with better lyrics!). I would love to know what happened to Heather, and why she never released another album. I realize that this album was not successful and the label likely dropped her, but surely she recorded an indie album or two? Anyone? Hello?

UPDATE:  Someone named Cherry Pepper posted the following articles about Heather from back in the day on Youtube, which fill in a lot of her story:

"Out of the angst of a troubled childhood and the many painful years that followed, song stress Heather Mullen has crafted a debut album that's both poetically beautiful and a testament to her survival. Simply titled Heather Mullen, this lush album delivers soul-searching lyrics amidst a gentle back drop of acoustic instruments. At 31 years old, Mullen realizes that neither she nor her music falls into an easily definable category. But her blend of pop-, jazz- and folk-influenced music draws from a well of deeply personal themes. One of the most compelling cuts, "She's a Soldier," masterfully recalls how she healed her relationship with her white mother.

Much of the anguish of Mullen's childhood was caused by the fact that she is biracial. Born in impoverished conditions on the Lower East Side of New York and raised in Philadelphia, Mullen never knew her Black father, who left when she was a year old. Her African-American heritage was something she had to discover on her own. "When no one teaches you your roots, it takes a lot more work to figure out your identity, your place in the world," she says.

Mullen says she was "completely lost from within" when she left her mother's house at 17. She discovered her passion for singing while waiting tables at local lounges. Forming a duo with a girlfriend who played guitar, Mullen began 11 years of traveling, waitressing and singing. Last year Mullen arranged a showcase for herself at a Manhattan club, paid for out of her own pocket. A record-company president saw Mullen's performance and promptly signed her to the label. Mullen doesn't focus on potential commercial success: "I just want to continue my journey--to accept myself for exactly who I am."

Essence Jul 92"

"She's one of those rare singers whose voice bends with the rest of the instruments, taking on a sound of its own and making us wonder: Where have you been hiding all those years, Heather Mullen?

Although her self-titled release is Mullen's first achievement that features her as a solo and background vocalist/composer, the 31-year-old musician from back East--she grew up in New York and Philadelphia--has paid her dues.

After waitressing, trying to do jingles, singing for obscure, small-scale coffeehouse lineups and a top-40s band, Mullen was finally discovered about a year ago when she played a showcase gig in front of family, friends and music industry executives.

Consequently, Mullen recorded her debut release last summer in New York where she worked with a handful of musicians thoughtful enough to let Mullen be the foremost musician.

Musician?  Well, she doesn't exactly play any instruments--her voice becomes one with the sound of her accompanists, of whom she said: "It's so rare that musicians pay much attention to the lyrics. And these guys would make a point of understanding the words and what I was saying, because it was going to affect what they played."

Her ability as a songwriter puts Mullen on one level with other great female artists who make similar music, such as Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Sally Oldfield, the not-so-well-known sister of British guitar genius Mike Oldfield, whose voice sounds as pure as water from a deserted island's cascade.

What's there to sing about with a voice as colorful and interesting as Mullen's? Hmmm, how about liking yourself, "Be Who You Are", joys of friendship, "Free Ride Home" and "You'll Never Be Alone", and getting rid of fears, "How Do You Know" and "When Dreams Come True?"

Dagi Binggeli, Deseret News, Apr 9 92, 6C"

Download Heather Mullen

1		Night By Night
2		Be Who You Are
3		Movin' On
4		Forgiveness
5		How Do You Know (When Dreams Come True)
6		Drinking The Rainwater
7		You'll Never Be Alone
8		Runnin' To Your Love
9		Tidal Wave
10		Free Ride Home
11		Slipping Thru The Cracks
12		She's A Soldier
13		Adventure
14		I Have Always Known You