The post Aleighcia Scott | Do You first appeared on Aleighcia Scott.
]]>Soulful reggae powerhouse Aleighcia Scott drops Do You, the long-awaited first single from her forthcoming album with legendary producer Rory Stonelove, Windrush Baby.
Originally recorded by Brook Benton, Do You was covered by Nat King Cole, and then reinterpreted in reggae by John Holt at Studio One in 1970.
Aleighcia first heard John Holt’s version and decided she had to cover it. Rory Stonelove and his Blackitesband in Jamaica lovingly recreated the vintage vibes, the dreamy strings were recorded in the UK & Jamaica, culminating in a modern lovers’ reggae style.
Both Brook Benton and Nat King Cole were hugely influential artists in Jamaica during the birth of ska, rocksteady and reggae. So Do You is the next stop on the historic journey for this timeless song – and one where Aleighcia’s soaring, heart-stopping voice does all previous versions full justice.
“It’s been an absolute honour to work on this single and to pay homage to such a classic” says Aleighcia of Do You’s rich lineage.
“Every detail has been thought through with great care and I’m really excited for people to hear it.”
“It’s so exciting to be finally releasing the first single from this project with Aleighcia Scott, as we start our journey to the top…” says Rory of the single and the eagerly anticipated album, Windrush Baby, soon to be heard.
Rory Stonelove
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]]>The post ALEIGHCIA SCOTT – WINDRUSH BABY first appeared on Aleighcia Scott.
]]>Welsh-Jamaican singer and media personality Aleighcia Scott releases her landmark debut album Windrush Baby, produced by sound system and production legend RoryStoneLove. Over half a decade in the making, Windrush Baby is a lovingly sculpted, deeply personal project that celebrates the JA-to-UK heritage of both Aleighcia and Rory, taking a musical journey from the blues dances and shubeens of Cardiff and London to the modern age.
Spanning ten tracks, Windrush Baby pairs Aleighcia’s emotionally overproof, uplifting voice with buoyant, authentic reggae rhythms played by Jamaica’s top musicians. The album’s title and striking cover art reference the arrival of Caribbean culture in the United Kingdom via the Empire Windrush ship 75 years ago.
“This album is so important to me” says Aleighcia of the project’s significance “It is an offering of everything I stand for both morally and creatively, whilst honouring the Windrush Generation that I stem from, who paved the way before me”.
“The album Windrush Baby reflects what my childhood was like growing up in south London” says Rory “I was listening to music that sound systems would play at my mum’s parties and my sister’s. I have tried my best to recreate that period.”
The result of multiple trips to Jamaica to record with Rory and the island’s premium session musician talent, the album shows many different sides to Aleighcia’s soulful, heartfelt brand of reggae. Aleighcia is naturally at home singing about matters of the heart: on defiant, sweetly scathing opener First Love, dreamy Studio One/Brook Benton update Do You, or daring, singjay departure Pretty Little Brown Thing. But she also invests the same passion in socially conscious topics, such as the heavy stepping jazzy Mr Big Shot and the bouncy Compass Point era Jamaican disco of Hey World. She even combines roots and lovers vibes, in the tradition of UK lovers rock groups like Brown Sugar, to the eddying flutes and soft trombone of the wistful Maybe.
“I have learnt so much as an artist whilst working with Rory” says Aleighcia on being inspired by her producer and his array of musicians, “and I’m so excited to share this project with the world”.
“I was so lucky to have Aleighcia Scott record on this album” says Rory. “She has that ‘girl next door approach’ and that hunger that is hard to find. She is open to any ideas and not thinking about herself but always putting the creation of the project first”.
TRACKLIST
01. First Love
02. Good Vibe
03. Do You
04. Hey World
05. In My Shoes
06. Pretty Little Brown Thing
07. Maybe
08. Mr. Big Shot
09. This Way
10. My Love
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]]>The post ALEIGHCIA SCOTT – IN MY SHOES first appeared on Aleighcia Scott.
]]>Produced by sound system legend RoryStoneLove, In My Shoes is a bouncy, horn-driven reflection on irresistible attraction – that recalls the ska-to-rocksteady transition of the early to mid-1960s.
It’s particularly fitting as the third single from Aleighcia and Rory’s exciting, imminent album Windrush Baby, because it pays tribute to the music that soundtracked Britain’s first Caribbean communities’ lives.
“I HAD TO MAKE IT AS AUTHENTIC AS POSSIBLE BY RECORDING IN JAMAICA AND THE UK, I HAD TO USE STRANGE PLACES TO GET THAT CRAZY SOUND THAT THEY HAD BACK THEN” – RORYSTONELOVE
Windrush Baby is a lovingly sculpted, deeply personal project that celebrates the JA-to-UK heritage of both Aleighcia and Rory, taking a musical journey from the blues dances and shubeens of Cardiff and London to the modern age.
“I ABSOLUTELY LOVED WORKING ON THIS SONG” SAYS CARDIFF-BORN ALEIGHCIA OF THE NEW SINGLE.
CREDITS
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]]>The post ALEIGHCIA SCOTT – PRETTY LITTLE BROWN THING first appeared on Aleighcia Scott.
]]>The Welsh-Jamaican singer and producer Rory Stonelove deliver an empowering anthem as the next single from their eagerly awaited album, Windrush Baby
Celestial-voiced singer Aleighcia Scott releases Pretty Little Brown Thing, the latest single from her forthcoming album with legendary producer Rory Stonelove (Black Dub Music). Pretty Little Brown Thing is an empowering, deeply honest celebration of being oneself, owning your power, and being accepted on your terms.
To a deep-and-supple rub-a-dub rhythm created by Rory Stonelove and top musicians, including renowned saxophonist Dean Fraser, Aleighcia sings a song that balances how we perceive people on the surface and what lies deeper. She warns anyone who holds her in their gaze to understand that we are all physical, mental, and spiritual beings. Pretty Little Brown Thing’s lovely melodies and hefty basslines mirror its message that prettiness and substance exist equally.
“I immediately recognised the potential for a hit when I heard the first two lines of the chorus written by Racquel Jones” – Rory Stonelove
This message is reflected further in Aleighcia’s burgeoning vocal versatility, switching between the sung chorus and the verses’ rapid ‘singjay’ style. The song demonstrates that this already multitalented, multilingual singer, TV and radio presenter, and cultural ambassador keeps adding new skills to her repertoire.
“It was a joy to be a part of this song” says Aleighcia of the recording process. “This is melodically something very different for me, but I absolutely love it! Rory said ‘I don’t know if you’ll be able to do this one…’ and I said ‘Get ready to record!’
CREDITS
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