April Hill
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Music
Press
"Not many sound like they've absorbed the right influences from such Esther Phillips and Nancy Wilson through the years spent listening to their albums, but April does. And yet she also sounds like her age, which is early twenties. And as debut indie soul albums go, this make for a varied collection, touching on neat funk [The Search], cool remakes [and understated I Want You, a pulsing Hope He'll Be Happier], a rippling, mid-tempo gem [You Got Me] and a driving club cut [No More Tears]. Throw in a couple of nice ballads and what we have here is a very fine start to a career that deserves to go somewhere bigger.
By:Chris Wells (gave ****) - Echoes Magazine
April Hill, "Love 360" (BlackHoney Records/Jazzy Peach Music): Hill traded her calculator as a financial anaylyst with investment firm Goldman Sachs to pursue music. The 24-year old singer/songwriter has sung background for Ne-Yo and opened for indie soul veteran Marlon Saunders, who later took her under his wing. The result of their collaboration, along with co-producer Shawn Lucas, is this debut intermingling soul, funk and jazz. Hill's sultry voice and poetic raps about love life and self-empowerment may have you thinking Jill Scott. But a confident Hill maintains her own lane, especially on a sexy cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You." Repeat worthy tracks : "The Search," "You Got Me," "I Wan You" and "Today."
By:Gail Mitchell - Billboard
If you are searching for the ultimate jazzy blend to kick off 2008, we have exatly the project for you. The CD is entitled "Love 360," by up & comming songstress Ms. April Hill. Produced by the multi-talented indie soul artist Marlon Saunders, this album is the perfect showcase of April's talent. "Love 360" is a 10 song collection that explores the range of the urban music genre. It's R&B, Soulful, and Jazzy, with Pop sensitivities. "The Search", leads off the album with its up-tempo classy club groove. The perfect mood-setter, especially since the listener benefits from the excellent song sequencing of the CD. Up next is the melodic "Feelin' You", where you begin to hear the jazzy leanings of the project. "You Got Me", is a funkier jam with plenty of gritty horns and April's poetic prose in the bridge. "I Wanna be Free", has a funky backbeat, combined with a catchy hook that will have you boppin' and singing along by song's end.
April brings us her interpretation of Marvin Gaye's classic "I Want You". Staying faithful to the song, she steps back into her Jazzy diva mode, and delivers a sizzling rendition. She segues to "Hope He'll Be Happier", written by Bill Withers, a down tempo jazz offering reminiscent of Randy Crawford. "Manipulation" and "Today" showcases April's poetry over smooth jazz rhythms.
"Love 360" is a diverse CD that uses jazz as its foundation. April Hill is defintely a talent to keep our eyes and ears on. Please consider adding her music to your library.
By:Craig Chapman - Rhythmflow
Wall Street's loss was soul street's gain. When April Hill quit the prestigious Goldman Sachs investment banking firm to pursue her dream of making music, some of her peers may have thought her crazy. But from the first note of "The Search," the opening cut on her debut album Love 360, she proves herself an artist whose stock is most certainly on the rise.
"The Search" is an auspicious beginning to a very good introductory CD, one brimming with personality and solid music. And if that cut weren't enough, she follows it directly with "Feelin' You," a wonderfully sexy ballad that Hill interprets like a singer twice her age. Either song could be a smash. Once the young chanteuse has hooked you, she takes a turn and wanders into dangerous territory, attempting back-to-back covers of classic songs of Marvin Gaye ("I Want You") and Bill Withers ("Hope He'll Be Happier")--and amazingly pulls them off. Her sly take on the Gaye cut, in particular, is a treat, and she makes this instantly recognizable track her own.
The rest of the ten cuts on Love 360 are uniformly strong, reminding listeners in some place of Conya Doss ("I Wanna Be free") and in others of Erykah Badu ("I Can't Stop Loving You"). And after a series of jazz tinged midtempo numbers, Hill finishes the disc with a surprise: a great 70s style disco number, "No More Tears."
Kudos go to producers Marlon Saunders and Shawn Lucas for creating the jazzy/soul environment through which Hill wanders on Love 360. Together with Hill, they've cut one of the most enjoyable debut albums of 2007 and have made this reviewer anxious to hear more of April Hill. As far as I'm concerned, Wall Street can keep waiting...
By Chris Rizik - Soul Tracks
Discography
My debut album is called LOVE 360 and has had some airplay.
Expect to hear my single "I Wanna Be Free" on the radio in the near future. A remix to this single was featured on All My Children.
Photos
Bio
Growing up, April listened to everyone from Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald to Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway. She is a lover of lyrics, and has always enjoyed how these artists sang phrases in a way that clearly represented how she was thinking or feeling.
24-year-old singer/songwriter April Hill is breathing new life into the soul scene. Her unique vocal style and gift with pen and paper is sure to have folk talking about this young Atlanta, Georgia-born talent for a long time.
April Hill, a Howard University graduate, came to New York City and began working as a financial analyst at the prestigious Goldman Sachs investment banking firm. The long hours and fast pace of Wall Street did not keep April from following her dream of becoming a recording artist. With the support of her mother and father, April decided to leave Goldman Sachs and focus her attention on developing her craft as a singer/songwriter.
April quickly caught the attention of soul singer/producer Marlon Saunders. Marlon fell in love with April’s soulful jazzy sound and invited her to share the stage as his opening act on tour. After a sold-out performance at the legendary Blue Note club in New York City, Marlon approached April and her parents about working with April.
The next day, Marlon and April were in the studio writing and recording song demos. It was around this time that the musical director for Ne-Yo phoned Marlon in search of background vocalists for the David Letterman Show. Marlon referred April and she was quickly rehearsing and working out background parts with Ne-Yo. A dream come true.
After a busy summer of touring, April began to hone her songwriting skills. Marlon and April traded melodies and lyrics until they found April’s groove.
And now this beautiful young artist has delivered LOVE 360, a soulful recording filled with beautiful phrasing, simple and poignant lyrics that will have fans feeling a deep intimate connection with April Hill. April’s unique style combined with the hypnotic funky arrangements of co-producer Shawn Lucas will have soul heads of every generation enjoying LOVE 360.
If you don’t mind a little jazz in your funk, a little heartache with your happiness, and a little poetry with your backbeat, then your search is over….April Hill tells a story worth listening to.
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