Brand New Heavies
| The Brand New Heavies | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Ealing, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | N'Dea Davenport |
| Website | TheBrandNewHeavies.net |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
The Brand New Heavies are an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London.
Contents
Biography
1980s & 1990s
The Brand New Heavies began in the 1980s as an instrumental acid jazz group called Brothers International.[1]
The group came up with the Heavies name after signing their first record contract, borrowing from a liner note on a James Brown single declaring the artist "Minister of New Super Heavy Funk".[2] As The Brand New Heavies they gained a cult following in the London club scene and soon signed to Cooltempo as acid jazz replaced rare groove in clubs. The band issued a debut recording for Eddie Piller's Acid Jazz label in 1990 with Jay Ella Ruth as lead singer.[3]
A single, "Got to Give", came out on Cooltempo before the Brand New Heavies signed to Acid Jazz Records and released Brand New Heavies to critical acclaim. The band signed to a division of Chrysalis Records in the UK,[1] and American distribution was picked up by influential label Delicious Vinyl, and N'Dea Davenport (who had signed an artist development deal with Delicious Vinyl) joined the group. A revamped version of the first album with vocals by N'Dea Davenport was then released, and the singles "Dream Come True", "Never Stop" and "Stay This Way", all with Davenport on lead vocals, became hits on both sides of the Atlantic, with the latter becoming a music video directed by Douglas Gayeton that saw heavy rotation on MTV.
The group's appearance with MC Serch (formerly of 3rd Bass) and Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) at a performance in New York City, inspired the group to incorporate elements of hip hop music. Their next album was the critically acclaimed Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, which included collaborations with Guru of Gang Starr and The Pharcyde, among others, but lacked any female vocals.
While under management by Colin Lester's and Ian McAndrew's Wildlife Entertainment, The Brand New Heavies released Brother Sister (1994) which was the last album for a while with N'Dea Davenport, who had left to complete her solo album (which she had put on hold to join the Heavies). The album spawned more singles, though one of them, a cover of Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis", was popular only in the UK because it was not included in the US version of the album.
Siedah Garrett joined the group for their next album, Shelter (1997). It contained the minor hit, the Carole King-penned song "You've Got a Friend" that was originally made famous by James Taylor. Again, though, this song did not appear on the US version of the album. The album also contained the hit "Sometimes". The remix of "Sometimes" included the rap vocals of Q-Tip.
2000s to date
The Brand New Heavies then released their greatest hits album, Trunk Funk - The Best of The Brand New Heavies (2000) with Carleen Anderson on vocals for some newly recorded songs, followed by the Japan only album We Won't Stop (2003) featuring a variety of vocalists and Allaboutthefunk (2004) featuring British singer Nicole Russo on vocals.
For We Won't Stop album, The Brand New Heavies relied on singer/songwriter Sy Smith for the bulk of the female vocals.[4] Original member Jan Kincaid takes the lead on three of the tracks, and Los Angeles-based poet Gina Loring[5][6] makes several appearances on the album.[7] Where the Heavies typical sound had typically been more 1970s funk-styled and acoustically driven, We Won't Stop sees the band experimenting with more electronic elements and contemporary R&B.[8]
The album marked the first commercial release of "What Do You Take Me For", the band's lone track featuring former flagship lead vocalist N'Dea Davenport.[9] The track would be later re-recorded in a more modern configuration with Nicole Russo on lead for the Allabouthefunk album.[10] The sound and musical arrangement heard on these first releases of "Music", "Love Is...", and the title track "We Won't Stop" were re-recorded with new leads on N'Dea Davenport's 2006 return to the band for the comeback album Get Used to It.[11]
In April 2006, the Brand New Heavies reunited with N'Dea Davenport and former label Delicious Vinyl. A new album, Get Used to It was released on 27 June 2006 via Starbucks and more traditional music retail outlets. The album was recorded in New York and London; and the lead single "I Don't Know Why (I Love You)" was issued in early May. The single was notable for being one of very few late releases to feature the trademarked A Tom Moulton Mix, as he had been asked to contribute remixes. Later that year, their Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 album track "Jump 'n' Move" featuring Jamal-ski was featured on the soundtrack for the 2006 computer animated feature film Happy Feet and the in-game soundtrack for 2004's NBA Live 2005 and 2009's NBA 2k10. The band toured at the end of 2006.
The Heavies recorded a cover of "C'est Magnifique" (originally from Cole Porter's 1953 musical Can-Can) for an early 2009 TV ad by Lancôme. The song also appeared in an early track listing of the Heavies' 2009 live album, but wasn't eventually included. The 2-CD Live in London was released in October 2009. The studio version of "C'est Magnifique" was released as a download and also included on a couple of various artists compilations.
The Brand New Heavies released a download instrumental album called Dunk Your Trunk in November 2011.[12] The album, recorded in only four days and described as 'funky library music' is directed at 'TV and Movie people to add to their programmes and films'. The 5-track Dunk Your Trunk Remixed E.P. was released on download on 1 May 2013.
The band hinted in late 2012 via their Facebook page at the possibility of a Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 2 being recorded in the upcoming future - a long talked about follow-up to 1992's Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, where various rap artists fronted the band.
The Brand New Heavies eighth studio album Forward was released on 6 May 2013. Lead vocal duties on the album are divided evenly between N'Dea Davenport, who features on the first single "Sunlight", Jan Kincaid and Simon Bartholomew, making his debut as lead vocalist on this album, and new UK vocalist Dawn Joseph.[13] While the album was produced by the Heavies themselves, as all their previous albums, there are also new collaborators, including song writers Johan Jones Wetterberg, Marc Jackson Burrows, Rita Campbell and Tim Laws and mixing engineer Toni Economides.
On 27 July The Brand New Heavies made their first TV performance together with new UK vocalist Dawn Joseph on Swedish TV4 show Sommarkrysset introducing "Sunlight".
On 10 October 2013 The Brand New Heavies announced via their website that Dawn Joseph had officially joined the band as full-time lead vocalist and that the band were working on a new studio album slated for release in early 2014.[14]
On February 21st 2014 The Brand New Heavies played at Buxton Opera House with support from British acoustic blues singer songwriter Matt Woosey. The Brand New Heavies ninth studio album Sweet Freaks, with Dawn Joseph on vocals, was released on the 24th October 2014. [15]
Members
| Band Member | Instrument | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Jan Kincaid (born 17 May 1966 in Ealing, London, UK) |
drums, keyboards, writer, producer, vocals | 1985—present |
| Simon Bartholomew (born 16 October 1965 in Ealing, London, UK) |
guitar, writer, producer, vocals | 1985—present |
| Andrew Levy (born 20 July 1966 in Ealing, London, UK) |
bass, keyboards, writer, producer | 1985—present |
| Lascelles Gordon | percussion, guitar | 1985-1992 |
| Rob Cremona | Rhodes electric piano | 1990—1991 (debut album) |
| Jim Wellman | tenor sax, soprano sax, keyboards | 1990—1991 (debut album) |
| Ceri Evans | keyboards | 1985—1992 |
| Jay Ella Ruth | vocals | 1990 |
| N'Dea Davenport (born 6 May 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA) |
vocals | 1990—1995, 2005—2013 |
| Siedah Garrett (born 24 June 1960 in Los Angeles, California, USA) |
vocals | 1997—1998 |
| Carleen Anderson (born 10 May 1957 in Houston, Texas, USA) |
vocals | 1999—2000 |
| Sy Smith (born 18 February 1978 in New York, NY, USA) |
vocals | 2003 |
| Nicole Russo (born in London, UK) | vocals | 2004 |
| Dawn Joseph | vocals | 2013—present |
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label | Lead Vocalist | Album details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Brand New Heavies | Acid Jazz | Jay Ella Ruth | |
| 1991 | The Brand New Heavies | Delicious Vinyl | N'Dea Davenport | |
| 1992 | Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 | Delicious Vinyl | various hip-hop artists | UK no. 38, US no. 139 |
| 1992 | The Brand New Heavies | FFRR | N'Dea Davenport | UK no. 25 |
| 1994 | Brother Sister | Delicious Vinyl | N'Dea Davenport | UK no. 4, US no. 95 |
| 1997 | Shelter | Delicious Vinyl | Siedah Garrett | UK no. 5, US no. 118 |
| 2003 | We Won't Stop | TBNH, Ltd./Pony Canyon | Sy Smith, Gina Loring | Japan and Korea only release |
| 2004 | Allabouthefunk | OneTwo/Pony Canyon | Nicole Russo | |
| 2006 | Get Used to It | Delicious Vinyl | N'Dea Davenport | |
| 2011 | Dunk Your Trunk | Pedigree Cuts | incidental music for TV and films; digital-only release | |
| 2013 | Forward | HeavyTone Recordings | N'Dea Davenport, Dawn Joseph | |
| 2014 | Sweet Freaks | earMUSIC | Dawn Joseph |
Remix albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Excursions: Remixes & Rare Grooves | Delicious Vinyl |
| 2007 | Elephantitis: The Funk + House Remixes | Delicious Vinyl |
| 2008 | Get Used to It - The Tom Moulton Mixes | Delicious Vinyl |
| 2009 | Elephantitis: The Funk + House Remixes 2 | Delicious Vinyl |
EP Releases
- 1992: Ultimate Trunk Funk EP (UK #19) (Never Stop / Stay This Way / Mr. Tanaka / Got to Give)
- 2007: Let's Do It Again - Remix EP aka Remixes (Let's Do It Again / All Fired Up /
We've Got / Right On / Get Used to It)
- 2012: Dunk Your Trunk Remixed E.P. (download)
Live albums and compilations
- 1994: Original Flava (compilation of early, unreleased tracks) UK no. 64
- 1997: Shibuya 357 (Japan only live album)
- 1999: Trunk Funk – The Best of The Brand New Heavies (compilation, international version featuring Carleen Anderson)
- 2000: Trunk Funk Classics 1991-2000 (compilation, US only featuring Carleen Anderson) UK no. 13
- 2009: Live in London (live compilation featuring N'Dea Davenport)
- 2011: The Best of 20 Years
Singles
| Year | Title | Label | Album | UK Chart Positions | US Hot 100 | US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | US Dance Club Songs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Got to Give" | Cooltempo | n/a | ||||
| 1989 | "People Get Ready" | Acid Jazz | n/a | ||||
| 1990 | "Dream Come True" featuring Jay Ella Ruth |
Acid Jazz | The Brand New Heavies | - | 63 | - | |
| 1991 | "Never Stop" | Acid Jazz, Delicious Vinyl | The Brand New Heavies | (UK #43) | 54 | 3 | 42 |
| "Stay This Way" | Delicious Vinyl, FFRR | The Brand New Heavies | |||||
| 1992 | "Dream Come True '92" | Delicious Vinyl, FFRR | The Brand New Heavies | (UK #24) | - | 42 | - |
| "Stay This Way" | Delicious Vinyl | The Brand New Heavies | (UK #40) | - | 19 | 38 | |
| "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" | FFRR | The Brand New Heavies | (UK #24) | ||||
| "Bonafied Funk" featuring Main Source |
Delicious Vinyl | Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 | |||||
| 1994 | "Dream on Dreamer" | Delicious Vinyl, FFRR | Brother Sister | (UK #15) | 51 | 19 | 4 |
| "Back to Love" | FFRR | Brother Sister | (UK #23) | ||||
| "Midnight at the Oasis" b/w "World Keeps Spinning" |
Delicious Vinyl, FFRR | Brother Sister | (UK #13) | ||||
| "Brother Sister" | Delicious Vinyl/EastWest | Brother Sister | |||||
| "Spend Some Time" | Delicious Vinyl, FFRR | Brother Sister | (UK #26) | - | - | 2 | |
| 1995 | "Close to You" | FFRR | Pret-A-Porter Soundtrack | (UK #38) | |||
| "Mind Trips" | Delicious Vinyl | Excursions: Remixes, and Rare Grooves | |||||
| 1997 | "Sometimes" | Delicious Vinyl | Shelter | (UK #11) | 88 | 20 | 24 |
| "You Are the Universe" | FFRR | Shelter | (UK #21) | ||||
| "You've Got a Friend" | FFRR | Shelter | (UK #9) | ||||
| "You Can Do It" | Delicious Vinyl | Shelter | - | - | 27 | ||
| 1998 | "Shelter" | FFRR | Shelter | (UK #31) | |||
| 1999 | "Saturday Nite" | FFRR | Trunk Funk – The Best of The Brand New Heavies | (UK #35) | |||
| "Apparently Nothing" | FFRR | Trunk Funk – The Best of The Brand New Heavies | (UK #32) | ||||
| 2004 | "Boogie" | OneTwo | Allabouthefunk | (UK #66) | |||
| 2005 | "Surrender" | OneTwo | Allabouthefunk | (UK #78) | |||
| 2006 | "I Don't Know Why (I Love You)" | TBNH/Delicious Vinyl | Get Used To It | (UK #188) | - | - | 21 |
| 2007 | "Let's Do It Again" | TBNH | Get Used To It | ||||
| 2013 | "Sunlight" | HeavyTone Recordings | Forward | ||||
| 2014 | "Sweet Freeek" | earMUSIC | Sweet Freaks |
Songs featured in Motion Picture Soundtracks
- 1992: "People Get Ready (Remix)" in Juice
- 1994: "Close to You" in Prêt-à-Porter
- 1994: "Higher Learning/Time for Change" in Higher Learning
- 1997: "I Like It" in Love Jones
- 1998: "More Love" in Sliding Doors
- 2006: "Jump n' Move" in Happy Feet
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Interview with Jon Scragg, Jazz FM 102.2 (London), 22 October 2004.
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- ↑ http://www.ear-music.net/en/news/details/the-brand-new-heavies-release-new-studio-album-sweet-freaks/
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External links
- Brand New Heavies – official site
- Brand New Heavies discography at Discogs
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