>> Alice Russell
bio: Alice Russell has gained an enviable reputation as one of the hottest singers in the UK right now. Her recent tracks with the Quantic and Quantic Soul Orchestra projects have proved to elevate her profile further. Alice’s lavishly soulful voice is both timeless and up to the minute modern. Whether live or on record, she always performs with her trademark self assurance and sass. Her style is a predominantly bluesy, soul lament but encompasses everything from funk to gospel to jazz and beyond. Her performances have that rarest of qualities; the ability to captivate the audience and command its attention, creating music that tugs at the emotions and raises hairs on the back of the neck. You really can’t fake what Miss. Russell’s got!
Alice grew up in an environment where she was constantly surrounded by music, and went on to follow her gut instincts and natural talents to pursue a career as a vocalist. Her father was an organist and this combined with her experience of singing in various choirs ensued her with a classical background which proved pivotal for her choice of career.
Citing such golden voices as Minnie Ripperton, Eva Cassidy, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin as well as Jill Scott as her primary influences, Alice is no stranger to taking centre stage. An accomplished chanteuse, Alice's sensual, sublime voice has seen her work on many different projects in a number of capacities. Her work with Bah Samba (who released on Estereo Recordings) finds her fusing latin sounds with tinges of house, uplifting jazz and funk, where as her material with band Kushti, reveals a more laidback, hip hop and soul inspired sound.
Alice always pens her own songs; working on many different collaborations with other musicians, something that she states has been an important influence on her solo work. Her songwriting is always quick witted and melodic and as her own solo project she has the opportunity to flex her skills and talent further. Her solo outing is a Live 9 piece band – ‘Alice Russell Live’ comprising of a prime selction of talented musicians.
In July 2004, Alice delivered her debut solo album, ‘Under The Munka Moon’ , for Tru Thoughts Recordings. A mixture of both her earlier collaborative efforts and brand new songs, the album covers a host of different styles, from the smooth soul of “Hurry On Now”, produced by TM Juke, to the delightful acoustic song “Sweet Is The Air”. ‘Under The Munka Moon’ includes tracks written with Bah Samba, Kushti, Nature Boy, and Quantic, with additional production and remix work from Digitek, Atjazz, and Plaid: a formidable host of studio talent to support Miss Russell’s supreme vocal skills.
However, her solo album is not the only place to catch Alice at work: the unique and captivating flavour that her distinctive voice brings to Tru Thoughts is evident on her collaborations with both Quantic and Quantic Soul Orchestra. Having been the principal vocalist on such classics as ‘Sweet Calling’ and 'Search The Heavens' both on Quantic’s 'Apricot Morning' Album, and more recently on Quantic’s Soul Orchestra’s debut funk bomb LP ‘Stampede’. The tracks she features on include ‘Something That’s Real’ , ‘Take Your Time Change Your Mind’ and of course the now classic, anthemic cover of 4Hero’s gem ‘Hold It Down’ , this further adds ignition to an album that has been described by the Independent as ‘authentic funk with a modern twist'.
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