The
alternative to Rhythm & Bullshit
To some people, mainstream R&B
as we know it might as well be called
Rhythm & Bullshit. Radio &
major label consolidation has pushed
to the forefront a devolved version
of a genre that spawned Marvin, Aretha
& Stevie. The genre as we know
it has acquiesced to a familiar hit
formula and given up it’s power
to touch the soul of a person through
honesty, positivity & creativity.
On the fringes of mainstream R&B
exists one man named “V”
driven to change this through his
music.
The
Revelation
V's debut “The Revelation Is
Now Televised” (T.R.I.N.T.)
has the makings of a future classic
from the inspiring “Would You
Be Mine," & “Confess”
that deal with courtships to the spine
tingling "Born Again," featuring
his close associate Jill
Scott.
Not a stranger to dance music through
his past work with
Masters At Work,
V step’s it up a notch and takes
it to the dance floor on “Anotha
Phase” touching on meaningless
encounters. V’s diversity as
a writer shines through on the album
with a healthy balance of songs that
not only deal with relationships &
heartbreak. On “Who would I
Be” and “Picture This”
we find V painting a picture of a
better world aided by opportunity
to make a difference. T.R.I.N.T. is
a testament to the soul that modern
R&B has lost.
Bringing
the soul back through
A Touch of Jazz
The T.R.I.N.T. album was created at
Jazzy
Jeff's
legendary Philadelphia studio, A
Touch of Jazz
that has been responsible for developing
world-class talent. There V not only
worked on his debut but he also built
an impressive resume highlighted by
both production and writing on Musiq
Soulchild’s
“Juslisen”, Will
Smith’s
“Big Willie Styles,” and
co-writing a song for Justin
Timberlake’s
mega-selling “Justified”
album. V’s style is the blueprint
of the Philly sound, he's been there
in the background, writing for quite
a while, he's also had a strong influence
on the likes of Jill
Scott, Musiq Soulchild,
and Bilal
all of whom have collaborated with
him. In fact right now, he's touring
with Jill. Having accomplished a tremendous
amount for others at a Touch of Jazz,
V decided it was finally time to launch
his own journey as an artist by recording
“The Revelation is Now Televised.”
It's been a long time coming. Those
in the inner circle of the soul scene
have known about V for eons, mainly
through word of mouth, his songwriting
or his live appearances. Now with
his stunning debut album the rest
of the world can discover this amazing
new talent.
A
Star Is Born
Born
Valvin Roane II, V was nicknamed at
an early age by his father. Raised
in South Jersey, V’s parents
were dedicated members of their local
church’s gospel choir. While
attending Drexel University, V began
singing in the school gospel choir
and frequently sang the national anthem
at Drexel home games. It was at Drexel
that V met renowned producer, James
Poyser
(Common/Badu/Randy Watson Experience)
who would eventually play keyboards
for V when he started to perform locally.
After some time V found his way to
singing back-up vocals on Christopher
Williams’ first album under
the direction of producer Nick Martinelli
at the famous Sigma Sound Studios.
His undeniable talent, led him to
soon after release his first single,
“It’s Raining” through
Up & Up Productions. The song
received significant airplay on Philadelphia
radio station Power
99 and
reached #1 on its “9 at 9”
countdown. It was this experience
that lead V to A Touch of Jazz, where
his talents were further developed
with the assistance of Grammy Award
winning producer Jazzy Jeff and the
special album you now hold in your
hands was created. |
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