Tru Sol

Artist Information

Biography

Infused with sounds of Raphael Saddiq, Stevie Wonder, and Santana, Tru Sol steps forward as songwriting collaborative made flesh in the form of a band that's been termed by fans as, "Mellow Funky Soul Rock Music!"

Tru Sol has a sound they call, "urban-acoustic", featuring a blend of live instrumentation and programming that has been garnering fans throughout Texas and Louisiana. The group's songwriters, Jerry Richard and Jose "Rio" Madrigal, craft their showcase of original songs with established popular music for a vibrant live performance.

Instrumentation

Jerry Richard - lead vocals, percussion
Jose "Rio" Madrigal - guitar
Maurice Bullock - bass
Charlie Silva - percussion/programming

Discography

Tru Sol EP (1999)
This Feeling (2000)

You can hear tracks from our CD @
http://cdbaby.com/trusol
http://www.outboundmusic.com, http://www.soundclick.com,
and http://www.fostex.com (in the Artists' Portal)

Audio

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Tru Sol by Maurice Bobb [+ Show ]
  

  Tru Sol plays the kind of music that makes listeners set their way-back machines to a time before CD...Tru Sol plays the kind of music that makes listeners set their way-back machines to a time before CDs and MP3s, to an era when up-and-coming musicians jammed from their souls at the local hole in the wall. Back then, soul music wasn't like the sexed-up sounds flooding today's airwaves. It was about melody and the way it made people feel and move. Tru Sol is all about that.
  
  For me, it's about creating a groove and a good melody," lead singer Jerry Richard says. "If it has both, it works. At our show you'll experience an atmosphere that you can unwind in, and then get charged up with a lot of good soul music."
  
  The collective, which has been compared to everyone from P.M. Dawn to Tony, Toni, Tone and Mint Condition, was the brainchild of Richard and guitarist Jose Madrigal. They met at Southwestern Adventist University outside of Dallas 11 years ago.
  
  "I was in an a cappella group and we shared similar influences: Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder and Touch of Jazz. Jose was a hall monitor for my dorm and we became friends," Richard says. "We started writing lyrics together toward our last year there and decided to make it a more serious venture. When Jose came to Houston in '99, we decided to put together a full project."
  
  Richard and Madrigal released Tru Sol's debut album, This Feeling, in 2000. It's packed with a signature, syrupy sound that sticks to the ribs. Standout tracks include What Can I Do, a melodic, Temptations-like ode to love that lets Richard's voice ride a simple tempo to a climactic peak. You're a Little Too Late explores the age-old dilemma of a lost love coming back at the wrong time. Its bebop tempo fluctuates between a thumping arsenal of bass and a smooth stream of guitar. A sure crowd pleaser, Babygirl, has an infectious beat and flaunts some artful composition by in-house producer, Madrigal.
  
  "We're self-produced right now because we're comfortable as a band," Madrigal says. "We like to improvise and feel out the music. With our music, a lot of people don't know what to do with it. But once they see that you can groove and rock and then put the soul in there, they say, `OK' and roll with it."
  
  "We've always been a bit of a rock and soul type of group," Richard adds. "I feel that rock music has always been interchangeable with soul. We love soul because (it encompasses) jazz, rock, R&B and funk. And our music is a hybrid of that. We always strive to make it soulful as we can."
  
  Tru Sol's current lineup came together in 2001. With Chuck Broadnax beating the drums and Maurice Bullock stringing bass, Tru Sol has all of the right ingredients to make fingers snap, heads bop and hips shake. The band is working on a new album tentatively titled, Urban Acoustics, due out in 2003.
  
  "It'll help people get a better taste of us as a band," Richard says. "We'd like to expand into more markets and get more radio play. It'll have a radio pop sound to it and a lot more rock influence. It'll be modern soul."
  

Setlist

As a live band, our original material and favorite covers blend into a fun, elastic groove, like a DJ in lounge mode. This is sample of what you'll hear blended in:

Acension - Maxwell
If I Had No Loot - Tony, Toni, Tone!
Just Friends (Sunny) - Musiq Soulchild
Sign Your Name - Terrance Trent D'Arby
Kiss of Life - Sade

plus, you'll hear some Marvin Gaye, Everything But the Girl, Emotions, Bobby Caldwell, Earth Wind & Fire, and more blended in this mix. It must be heard to be believed!

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