Music
Press
Review of The Quick & Dirty EP - Dusty Groove
Shelley Nicole's blaKbüshe is part of this compilation. - Okayplayer.com
by Rob Fields of Boldaslove.us
January 16, 2010 - Huffington Post
#29 - theroot.com
Reviews for she who bleeds…:
“…Rock and consciousness is bubbling in Brooklyn. Singer Shelley Nicole debuts her band, Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe, on the independently released she who bleeds…. Mixing funk and rock with Nicole’s high-minded lyrics, this disc is a crafty and spiritually refreshing alternation to a stale urban menu.”
++One World Magazine [by Miles Marshall Lewis]
“These sounds are ‘progressive’ rock n’ soul as opposed to ‘Neo’ Soul. Listening to this helps me regain some hope that so-called Melanin-Rich beings will finally awaken from their sleepy state toward truly hardcore music. The sista on the vocals is definitely giving birth to a Nu Breed of Conscious Artists.”
++D-Rock-SOUL-Jah Host of Alternative Rock Solutions [WRFG 89.3 FM. Atlanta, GA]
“Nicole’s musical attraction is part of a new wave of spiritual-soul, ancestral sounds that had been suppressed for ages. Now the masses are going to hear the conscientious movement that is emerging in America from the underground.”
++The New York Amsterdam News
“A very righteous set of tracks from Shelley Nicole and her blaKbüshe ensemble -- a lot more powerful than some of the other underground soul sets of recent years, and done with lots of full-on instrumental touches on keyboards, guitar, and bass -- making for a style that recalls some of the best recordings of the Black Rock scene in years past.”
++Dusty Groove (dustygroove.com)
“On she who bleeds… Shelley Nicole created a vibrant synthesis of Rock and Jazz, which ultimately aimed to tweak the staid sensibilities of both mainstream America and the gatekeepers of Africa American culture and identity.”
++Africana.com [by Mark Anthony Neal]
“She who bleeds… is an insightful, uncompromising musical commentary of rock’s rebellious nature.”
++thesoulmovement.com [by Gabriel Rich]
Shelley Nicole's blaKbüshe brings music that is informative and inspirational. She combines styles to expand and make the "Black Rock/Soul Universe" a brighter and better place. One of the best CDs I enjoyed in years!
++Jon Judah-FuseBox Radio/Media (www.Exit9HipHop.com)
Reviews for The Quick & Dirty EP:
“This Brooklyn-based co-ed septet busts out with a rock-soul-electronic hybrid, sounding like the feminist Brooklyn Funk Essentials. The centerpiece of the EP is “blaK Girls,” a ‘70s-vibe soul-funk female empowerment anthem that’s also an irresistible dance groove.”
++Curve Magazine
Show Reviews:
“Brooklyn’s Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe defies just one label, thankfully. It’s equal parts rock, funk, soul and electronica, with heavy doses of Grace Jones, Labelle, Parliament/Funkadelic, and Living Colour. With Nicole’s clever songwriting, bass playing and vocals, it’s an ingenious musical evolution.”
++The Village Voice
“If George Clinton, Beyoncé, and Me’shell Ndegeocello had a threesome and birthed a band Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe would be it.”
++Go Magazine
“Shelley Nicole’s voice and band are pure dynamite!”
++ Go Magazine
“To say Shelley Nicole brings fire with each and every performance is an understatement. Her band Shelley Nicole's blakbüshe rocks, funks and brings soul with such a high energy that their fans are sent home buzzing from that energy after shows.”
++[Soultracks interview by Tom Paul]
“What I saw on stage was veritable Mack Diva: Confident, brash, sexy. Leading her band and giving good show…Shelley Nicole has developed a sound that’s varying degrees of rock, one that effortlessly moves along the continuum from funk to rock with some touches in the area of punk.”
++www.boldaslove.us [Rob Fields Review of blaKbüshe at Fat Baby, NYC]
“Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe just set the stage on fire. This sister and her band rocked so hard, they made my teeth hurt! I mean…talk about stage presence, tight beats, and incredible dynamics. I cannot wait to see them again.”
++Oktbrwrld.com
“I was completely destroyed in the most beautiful way possible when I saw the blaKbüshe show. Shelley Nicole's blaKbüshe, to be precise. This band was the best thing I've seen in a loooooong time. I know I've written about other folks I saw, and no disrespect to any of them, but I was destroyed last night in the best way possible.
++www.bandcode.net [Jay of Hashbrown]
“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. What this world needs is more Black rock acts. And it make it all the better when it’s a woman fronting the group… Shelley Nicole brought the house to it’s feet at the end of her set…Her song “Black Girls” could easily be used as a new anthem for Black women everywhere.”
++www.jazzydigressions.blogspot.com […but I digress by Soul II Soul “The Night ‘U People’ Got Funky at Solomon’s Porch”]
“The Labelle tribute…opened with Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe giving the audience, as producer Kim Knox described it-- a baptism of fire. I especially loved her song that she wrote in response to the cutting down of the noose-strewn tree in Jena, LA [Can’t Blame a Tree]. It was my first time seeing her and she definitely lived up to all the hype I had been hearing about her over the years.”
++www.thehotnessgrrrl.blogspot.com [“Funk, Feathers & Fire: Joi, Tamar-Kali & blaKbüshe” by thehotness grrrl Review of Labelle Tribute show at the Manhattan Center, NYC]
- Varioius Publications
Discography
Albums:
she who bleeds... (LP)
The Quick & Dirty EP
Singles:
"Being Me"
"blaK Girls"
Radio Airplay:
WBAI (New York, NY)
WHCR (New York, NY)
WNYC (New York, NY)
WRFB: Radio Free Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)
WFDU (Teaneck, NJ)
KPFK-Restless Soul (Los Angeles, CA)
Blogtalkradio.com
Cyberjamz.com
Colourful Radio (London, UK)
Keepin’ It Moving Radio (London, UK)
Solarradio.com (London, UK)
Warrior FM (UK)
Photos
Bio
Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe is the living, breathing embodiment of progressive music. Imagine Nona Hendryx meets Black Sabbath or Janis Joplin meets Grace Jones, it is then that you will begin to feel the blaKbüshe experience. blaKbüshe, reminiscent of the Soul/Pop recording group Labelle, is a blend best described by Shelley Nicole as SolaRoc, an undeniably spine-tingling surge of rock, funk, soul, and beyond. As validated by Labelle member Sarah Dash, “blaKbüshe is not to be overlooked.”
Since Shelley Nicole’s arrival on the New York music scene, she founded Red Butterfly Music the label through which she released her albums, she who bleeds… and The Quick & Dirty EP. Her co-ed septet band, blaKbüshe, has performed at hot spots all over New York City, the U.S. and Europe, including the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, The Blue Note, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, World Café Live, Endenu, Genghis Cohen, and the Mau Mau Bar (London). Shelley Nicole also has shared the stage with notable artists such as Erykah Badu, Living Colour, Vicki Randle, Toshi Reagon, Les Nubians, Natalie Stewart (the Floacist/Floetry), Julie Dexter, Tamar-kali, Joi, V. Jeffery Smith (the Family Stand), India.Arie, Hanifah Walidah (Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Black Patti) and many more.
Prior to the band’s inception, Shelley Nicole released “Being Me” on Imani/King Street Records. The song topped charts in London and received rave reviews in New York, Europe, and Japan’s dance music scene. Critically acclaimed by Curve Magazine Music Reviews Editor Margaret Coble as “an irresistible dance groove”, Shelley Nicole’s latest single “blaK Girls” is featured in the documentary and soundtrack of the film U People, and was recently released on the Boldaslove.us compilation Fire in the Dark. The band’s London tour helped secure Shelley Nicole’s song “3/4 Shit” on the UK released Jazz Re:freshed Vol. 1. While exhibiting her acting talents in the rock documentary Electric Purgatory, Shelley Nicole’s melodic, edgy song “Release” is featured on the film’s soundtrack. Chosen out of 120 submissions, Shelley Nicole’s fiery, powerful soulful voice, riveting bass riffs, poignant lyrics, and unforgettable theatric performances also secured her placement as an In House Artist during the 2009 Silver Starr Art Studios LLC (SSAS) competition.
The Village Voice calls Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe “an ingenious musical evolution.” Author and Associate Professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University Mark Anthony Neal says, “On she who bleeds… Nicole created a vibrant synthesis of Rock and Jazz, which ultimately aimed to tweak the staid sensibilities of both mainstream America and the gatekeepers of African-American culture and identity.”
Her latest release The Quick & Dirty EP features bonus tracks from producers Ian Friday (Tea Party Music), Daz-I-Kue (i-Kue Productions/Bugz in the Attic) and Lionel Sanchez Jr. (Audioglyph Productions). Boldaslove.us adds “If [Shelley Nicole’s EP] is any evidence of what's to come, we should expect more greatness from this soul-funk-rock queen.”
Get ready to experience a musical revolution. Get ready for blaKbüshe!
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