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RDM 13067CD
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This is the second full-length release from Switzerland's Lee Everton for Rootdown Records. On Sing A Song For Me, organs, an on-point brass section, percussion, various offbeat-rhythms and the ubiquitous guitar build the foundation for Lee Everton's intriguing and welcoming voice. Everton is a wizard of relaxation: he renders the roaring guitars of "Don't Make It Too Hard" as chill as a walk on the beach. He is even able to soothe the blues out of Tom Waits' "Anywhere I Lay My Head." Nevertheless, a light melancholy lies in between all the lines, though jovially-jumping rhythms, as well as a fair portion of common sense, keep the music from becoming a self-pitying walk through a valley of tears. "Cry For Me" is made purely out of organic, hand-made reggae, topped with a glamorous melody. In contrast, the contemplative, soul-laden "You've Still Got A Hold On Me" brings the singer/songwriter back to the table with a gentle piano. Coming from the deep crates of Bob Dylan, Lee Everton's version of "If Not For You" becomes, with the help of a fragile melody and an island feel, one of those songs that gets stuck in your head for days. "I Want To Hold On" partially reminds of Procul Harum's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale," but with only a guitar and a voice to carry the melody. Despite all the richness of detail, Lee Everton's songs remain simple, with relaxed and airy melodies. Everton left his homeland at age 18 and studied at the Jamaican School of Music in Kingston where he discovered his love for the sound of the Caribbean. He brought this spirit back to Switzerland and quickly became a pioneer in the newly-burgeoning Swiss rap- and reggae-scene as an MC and guitarist for the group Sendak. His 2008 debut Inner Exile (RDM 13044CD) established him as an extraordinary artist with a trans-global, harmonic vision and a voice somewhere between Dylan, Van Morrison and Bob Marley. Sing A Song For Me continues and expands upon this promising young artist's trajectory as an important and inventive singer/songwriter.
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RDM 13064CD
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This is the debut full-length by a new breed of urban immigrant koalas, called Koalas Desperados, an international conglomeration of musicians organized by Cologne-based reggae producer Teka and his partner-in-crime, France's Manar. The duo easily managed to integrate 17 musicians and 17 vocalists from 15 countries in an organic way, melding the finest beats and riddims with many voices in even more languages to construct global urban vibes. Thilo "Teka" Jacks and Manar El-Abed have come a long way together, knowing each other since school days and having spent lots of time in closely-related band outfits and door-to-door rehearsal rooms of the '90s Frankfurt reggae and punk scene. While Teka went on to become co-founder and inhouse-producer of Cologne-based reggae label Rootdown Records, Manar moved to the south of France and joined the scene based around the infamous hangout bar Rebuffy as a DJ and producer, managing to build an impressive amount of contacts to local musicians and MCs. And so, the multicultural, genre-bashing musical mix comes naturally to the Koalas masterminds. Every member has a lot to offer and to bring to the huge Koalas Desperados table. While D-Flame, Nosliw, Laura Lopez-Castro and Maxim are household names in the German popular music scene, other Koalas ring quite a few bells in their home countries as well. Stand-out talents like Paco Mendoza (Argentina), Jaqee (Sweden/Uganda), Portuguese MC Bezegol, female MC Ms. Maiko from Gran Canaria, Macaco and Nubla from Barcelona, and Hector Gomez aka Lhabanero (Cuba) guarantee a perfect balance of versatile genres that come together here: reggae, hip-hop, fado, Afrobeat, and a variety of Latin elements as well. The Koalas Desperados enjoy their organic urban life in the global village: legalize eucalyptus!
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RDM 13044CD
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Inner Exile is Zurich-based Lee Everton's debut full-length. The singer and musician crosses the borders between roots reggae, blues, country and soul with surprising ease. The foundation for this unique songwriter-reggae is Lee's own invented "slingsstyle rhythm," combining beautiful melodies with captivating rhythms and intense lyrics. The result is a new sound somewhere between Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. From his early days, Lee Everton was fascinated with black music. Searching for the right song and the perfect sound, he traveled to Jamaica when he was 18 to spend a year at the Jamaican School of Music in Kingston. The sessions with musicians from all over the Caribbean had a lasting impact on him. Working later at the Quad Recording Studios in New York, he assisted sessions with Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Celia Cruz. Only recently, he attended a workshop for songwriters in Los Angeles where he met the successful songwriter Penny Framstad, who offered to coach him on two of his songs -- a chance he took gladly. With all those experiences, he started to experiment with new rhythms and new sounds. The first outcome of this work is the song "I Feel Like Dancing," which has already made it into the playlists of Switzerland's two major radio stations.
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