STOP PRESS
Nicole Mitchell
No Suicide Vick Lavender's Sophistcado All Soul Mixes
Available now @ Traxsource
http://www.traxsource.com/index.php?act=show&fc=tpage&cr=titles&cv=62562
Deep soulful house.
Sophisticado Recordings presents Nicole Mitchell's No suicde with haunting lyrics and Nicole's sweet vocals
this record is 100% soul.Together with Vick Lavender's production and arrangment this is sure to please deep soulful listeners around the world.
No Suicide ( Vick Lavender's Sophisticado all soul mixes )
Written by Eric McSwaine & Nicole Mitchell
Lead & background vocals performed by Nicole Mitchell.
Original version produced by Eric McSwaine.
Remix produced and arranged by Vick Lavender for Sophisticado & Lavajam productions.
Brian Doherty on bass guitar.
Mike Levin on live sax.
All drum programming by Vick Lavender.
Engineered by Vick Lavender @ Sophisticado studio's Chicago Ill.
For booking and or licensing please contact Sophisticado Recordings @ mraliii2@yahoo.com or sophisticadorecodings@yahoo.com
No suicide original version
Written and produced by Nicole Mitchell & Eric McSwaine.
All music by Eric McSwaine.
Lead and background vocals by Nicole Mitchell.
Hi ! Once again I focus my attention on the multi talented City of Chicago.My attention drawn again to a vocalist who has worked with Al Olive and also under the umbrella of the Sophisticado Maestro
Vick Lavender.This time it is
Highlighting the talents of Nicole Mitchell ! Hey Nicole ......
Where were you born ? and Where did you grow up ?
I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan which is also where i grew up
Were you brought up in the Church ?
I was brought up by my mother who is a Jehovah’s Witness
What were your early influences musically ?
Being from Michigan i had no choice but to have alot of influence from Motown. My vocal coach at a young age was Bertha McNeal of Motown’s Velvelettes. Other influences range from Earth Wind & Fire, Bob Marley, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Caron Wheeler, Dionne Warwick and Annie Lennox to name a few
How old were you when you realised you wanted to sing ?
Funny i was awkwardly shy growing up. My mother placed me in dance at a young age. From there i got hooked on musicals. I’d say 5th grade...we were doing selections from “Annie” my music teacher noticed my “big voice” as she calls it and the rest is history...Truth be told i wanted to remain in chorus as i would only sing out when all eyes were NOT on me.
Was it music on the Radio that influenced you or in clubs ?
Id have to say music on the radio influenced me. Alot of the influence came from me reading magazines and when i saw what artist were new or had a cd coming out...id go buy it. I didnt have alot of friends in my neighborhood growing up, so I would spend my allowance buying 45’s and albums. I would read the liner notes. I could tell you who wrote what, who played on what, who sang background etc. It was beyond obsessive for such a young girl. Radio didnt play a large variety of music where i came from so i created it in my own little world.
Were your parents or family musical ?
My grandmother was a bigband singer. She used to sing on a gospel radioshow back. I hate that she died before i was able to hear her stories. My uncle toured professionally as a pianist as well as my other uncle who was a professional drummer. My father performed in the ARMY as a tribute singer to Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole...
Who are your favourite artists ?
My favorite Artist are Sting, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Prince, Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire, David Foster, Will I Am, Gladys Knight, Rod Temperton, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin and Jill Scott to name a few. My favorite artist consist of writers, singers and producers that have their own style, sound and swag.
What are your favourite ten all time songs ?
Lovely Day by Bill Withers, Soon I’ll be Loving You by Marvin Gaye, Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson, Fantasy by EWF, Spoke to Me by Prince, Tenderness by Otis Redding, Everything I Miss At Home by Cherrelle, Change the World by Eric Clapton and Babyface, He Loves Me by Jill Scott and Feelin Good by Nina Simone. Bonus...Paul Revere by the Beatsie Boys
Do you write your own material ?
I do write my own material. Not a big fan of cover tunes unless its changed to fit the artist covering it but i admit I did one cover on my first cd and have another cover coming out on my new release.
Where do you draw your influences for that ?
I draw my influence from real life experiences. Pain, laughter, joy, disappointment,hope, love and all those type of feelings. Sometimes world events or i’ll take situations that affect others and write about them. Im a huge people watcher and i love to listen to stories of others...thats my inspiration.
Tell us how tuff it is to get your music heard in this world of MTV,r& b and Rap culture !
OMG it is outrageously difficult to get our indie music heard. Its funny because we live in such a forward moving society, but somehow we allow ourselves to become stuck when it comes to music. I miss the day of music execs that groomed artist to be different. Thank God for Jac Holzman, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Ahmet Ertegun and others for taking chances back in the day. Im worried about the future execs. These new people seem to be afraid to take chances and showcase talent that “Grown” people want to hear. They keep going after these younger artist forgetting the timeless sounds of Jackson 5, Motown, Beatles and others that are consistently reinvented
Tell us a little about the Chicago Music scene as you see it today.
The scene in Chicago is hard to explain. We have some amazing talent in Chicago. I’ll speak from a vocalist perspective. In my opinion i feel we can do better as a music community to support each other. Whether it be DJ’s incorporating chicago artist in their live mixes, mixtapes and blogs or fellow chicagoans supporting live independent shows as well as supporting our projects. As a singer i grew frustrated with the local ever changing club scene and started booking venues such as The HotHouse, The ParkWest and The DuSable Museum of African American Art and selling tickets individually for my shows. Honestly im trying to be on the level as the artist i look up to so i feel the need to present myself as such. Settle for apples, you get apples...id rather bake the pie :)
How did you hook up with Chicago's main man Vick Lavender & talk a little about how that works and who is on the project. ?
Well ...Ive known Vick for years and ive always been a fan of his work. Funny thing is, i met him while he was working heavily with Mr. A.L.I. I was working with bass player Lamar Jones who introduced me to Jere McAlister who hired me to fill in as a vocalist with Carla Prather and Dajae (Brighter Days). We were able to collaborate on my 2nd cd in “A Sound Of My Own” on the track ‘Thinkin Back’...Fast forward to this year..Vick and I connected on facebook and he sent me a few instrumental tracks to write to. The first tracks were “So Lonely” and “Newness Love”...They were both actually smooth soul tracks which will be released later though with Vick being the master remixer that he is, we ended up with 2 serious soul house tracks. The songs were well received though before we could release he gave me a new instrumental which i wrote titled “Make You Wanna”. We brought Al Olive in on this track. I cant tell you how happy i am that i introduced Al and Vick. Vick recently remixed my single “Need To Know” which is also unreleased (Cowritten by Preston Glass). Were now remixing my new track “No Suicide” which is a mid tempo track that is also unreleased dealing with this tragic epidemic. There are some amazing songs in the works. All i can say is we have some fantastic soul music coming out that is definately for the the grown & sexy. Im sure everyone will be blown away. Some blogs were comparing our style of house to the other types of house and all i can say is its all groovy man. Were not here to compete...just inspire and share our talents with everybody.
We love Need to Know from Sophisticado and you have been over to The UK to work with John Oudo tell us about that !
OMG...John Oudo...I cant tell you enough about that man. First of all let me say I am truly falling in love with the European market. From fashion, to people, to music! I met John on facebook believe it or not. I cant remember who befriended who but i would touch base every now and then (hey whats the use of being fb friends if you’re not gonna know whose on your page right?) and one day i came right out and suggested we work together. He checked out my vibe and next thing i know i was flying to London. The trip started off on the right note..i was sitting right next to Fergie (the Duchess) which was cool for me. I came to town saturday morning, came to the studio and we started recording immediately. I hadnt heard the songs yet but i tell you, they were amazing. You’ve heard “I Dont Need You”. The first track we recorded entitled “Satisfied” comes out later this month and let me be the first to say the John has outdone himself. John is a musician and has a background in Jazz like Vick which i believe helps their production style and musicality.
Is there going to be a Nicole Mitchell album ? When might we see that ?
I have two cd’s out now. My debut cd “The Many Moods Of Me” was released 2004 with the title track ‘Many Moods’ being licensed by Marcus Johnson’s Three Keys Music and my cover of Cherrelle’s ‘Everything I Miss At Home’ has been rereleased and received her blessing as i was called to open and sing background for her which was a awesome. My sophmore cd “A Sound Of My Own” was released in 2008 and received a licensing contract from Spafax which places music on commercial airplanes. Im currently in the studio finishing up “The Bi-Polar Music Project” Volume 1 (Licensed to Chill) which will be out later this year. Volume 2 (Licensed to Ill) will be out early next year. The first single “Forever United” featuring Phil Perry was released this spring. The follow up single “Need To Know” will be released in Aug 2010. Both tracks as well as two others were cowritten by Preston Glass (Aretha Franklin, Jermaine Stewart, Whitney Houston, Kenny G).
You are big friends with another guy we love over here in the UK Al Olive how did you guys hook up and as we know work live together ?
Ahh ! Al Olive...I came to Dallas and was approached by NJH productions to do a concert for them. Problem is my band members were either on tour with other artist or in Chicago. I scoured the city for a band and stumbled upon The Buster Brown Band which Al is one of the lead singers. I hired the band with Al singing background. I couldnt keep him in the background as we had such great musical chemistry. I added a Marvin Gaye/Tammy Terrell tribute to the show which we later performed at another date by popular demand. We became fast friends and a source of encouragement for each other which is needed in this industry. Allow me to add, i was impressed with not only his voice but his honesty and authenticity in an industry where alot of people sound alike and attempt to look alike. I brought him to Chicago and we captured the magic together again and i was feeling this duo vibe. In Chicago the two of us were so well received that i had to bring him into our budding musical family.
What are your hopes and ambitions ?
My hope is that i can reach people with my musical message. I write and sing that “U Cant Make Somebody Love You”, that “Life Goes On”, inspiring people to “Rise” and “Let Go”, inspiring people to love and celebrate love with “The Wedding Song (On This Day) and to remain “Forever United”. These are just a few of some of my song titles. Im most proud of the new cd asking for my girls around the world to love one another, to promote self love and accept each other and themselves on “Girls Unite”. Begging those contemplating suicide not to do it on “No Suicide”...My ambition is to license my music and have it used as a soundtrack to peoples lives so that they are singing my lyrics when no other words will do. To perform and/or write songs that touch people and reflect honest emotion no matter what that emotion may be. I write lyrics to mean something..not just to rhyme over a beat.
What new music are you digging right now ?
I’m of course digging Al Olive. Theres alot of great music out there such as Macy Gray’s new cd, Amp Fiddler, Ledisi,Maxwell, Janelle Monae, Dennis Ferrer “Hey Hey”, Melanie Fiona has a fantastic voice, Alicia Keys “Unthinkable” is amazing...wow im pretty much digging anyone that is writing and producing music thats genuine and not trying to fit into the mold or insult the public with gimmicks.
We hope to see you over in the UK sooner rather than later,thanks for taking some time out Nicole !
No comments:
Post a Comment