Sarah White
New York City, New York, United States
Music
Press
“Call me green because I’m jealous of her. You know she’s got nothing on me.”
You know what? She’s right. Sarah White’s new EP Hiding Blind is kitsch yet a charmingly uncanny and mystical work of art. The smoky-eyed chanteuse is a songbird of a different flock with a sound fusing electrodub, crunk sounds, hip-hop, tribal and jazz-soul among other genres and interesting lyrical content. White does something rather odd: she sings in a somewhat haiku, on topics ranging from sexual encounters and unrequited love to rather interesting music.
White’s principal producer for Hiding Blind, DJ Don Cuco, gave White a sound that mirrors few artists while transforming her musical caricature and lyrical content into a new animal. White, who can be compared to beloved artistes India.Arie, Lauryn Hill and Sadé Adu, is given a distinct harmonious background known only to artistes M.I.A. and Björk with the aid of the compelling Cuco.
Songs “Big Dance,” “Dance on Mars,” “Freakness” and the EP’s title track are all magical surprises especially for a record only housing nine songs on its playlist. The former half of Black Blonde loosens up with the abstract jingle afrobeat-pop “Dance on Mars” which sounds like a dance-along ringtone. The song’s message: tribal music—or more so, music—is like Mars, providing a titillating experience with its African tribal funky backing vocals. The exceptionally bubbly “Big Dance” with its childish tease, unleashes a barbwire braced techno-grime electro-dancehall hip-hop groove.
Other songs such as “Freakness” and the title track, while parallels apart, complete the EP. “Freakness,” is a song that may recall raindrops falling into a tin can. However, its sexy, pulsating Arabic dance pop-Reggaeton, gives the album an upbeat flare while the title track delivers a calm after the storm. “Hiding Blind,” a trip hop R&B, synth-soulful tour de force that may be influenced by an early Des’ree effort is a great track for contemplating or singing in the shower because of the melody’s slow crawl. “Walk Away,” featuring emcee Manifest, evokes the enchantment of the melodic sounds The Fugees’ “Ready or Not” with its hip-hop jive and its slow, sexy electro-synth dub, lovers rock flow.
Hiding Blind is a gem. Sarah White’s an interesting entity for the masses. While a acquired taste, she’s right; no one can touch her. - Nu Soul Mag: Marcus Scott
What do you do when being known as hot local talent in Minnesota is not enough to fulfill your musical wanderlust? If you're Sarah White, you take your electro-dub, hip hop and soul roots and join the lengthy list of transplants to Planet Brooklyn, NYC to cultivate the creativity you can barely contain. Aside from being a co-author of one of our favorite blogs, Sarah has performed at the Black Lily Festival as well as on various other stages and undoubtedly brings her brand of seductive coolness to every venue she frequents. With her latest EP, Hiding Blind, which drops today, Sarah's desire and desire to wander can easily be observed on two of the album's stand out tracks -- "Fade" and "Turn Me On." Overwhelming while coy, strong while subtle, Sarah definitely harbors a dichotomy that will never grow old.
- Soulbounce.com
If former Black Blondie Sarah White was signed to a major record label, this debut effort would be plastered all over every R&B radio station going. "Hiding Blind" is a dazzling display of the best of modern nu-jazz, soul, R&B and club sounds, all underpinned by Sarah's velvet smooth vocals.
Producer Don Cuco really has done an amazing job, creating an impressively broad palette of musical styles, from the slow and sexy Bossa Nova of "Fade" to the more urban sounds of "Dance On Mars". There isn't a weak track on this nine track EP and although it is brazenly eclectic, Sarah White's strong vocals mean it is all good.
The singer has come a long way from her native Minneapolis to Brooklyn, where she now resides, but she has brought the strength of her musical convictions with her. "Hiding Blind" is a bullshit free record. It does exactly what it says on the tin. It's great singing with great songs.
The sublimely downtempo "Turn Me On" should be doing the rounds on all the R&B compilations. It's sexy, low down and dirty, and burns with a sensuous passion. The funkier "Freakiness" and other tunes have a serious edge to them and show that Sarah is not afraid to experiment and push the envelope just that little bit further.
Sarah White knows the score.
~ Jamie Hailstone - Properly Chilled
Discography
Hiding Blind EP- Sept 25,08
(Radio and airplay internationally including Gilles Peterson for international internet radio)
Friends We Love -Dec 08
(Compilation by Dj Moni released in Japan, including track, Hiding Blind)
Photos
Bio
Joining the musical lineage of Minnesota expatriates, and representing a new generation in progressive sound, is the infinitely talented Sarah White. Cultivating a base of followers and nurturing her sound from the ground up in her native Minneapolis, Sarah embarks on the next phase of her creativity with her pilgrimage to Brooklyn, NY. The success that has followed her to her new home in New York’s most eclectic borough is a culmination of experience and preparation for a golden opportunity. The path that led to this exodus is the stuff dreams are made of. Sarah White has always been artistically inclined. As a youth she explored the worlds of theater and dance, and would become a student of music, learning to play instruments early on. Sarah’s organic progression toward vocalism would begin in middle school, experimenting with spoken word poetry and rapping by the age of 14. Her collaborative abilities would be put to the test in 2002 when she joined the regional hip-hop outfit, Traditional Methods, as an emcee. Covering political and social topics in the tradition of such groups as the Fugees and Digable Planets, the group had a successful run, until Sarah decided to expand her creativity, starting a new group called Black Blondie in 2005, with fellow vocalist Samarha Linton. Black Blondie would fuse hip-hop, electro-dub, and soul, providing glimpses into Sarah’s current identity. The girl-heavy band would earn strong regional acclaim, as well as a Minnesota Music Award nod. Throughout her group efforts, Sarah drew lofty comparisons to contemporaries and legends such as India Arie, Lauryn Hill, and Sade. While Sarah embraced all of the local acclaim, she sought to further broaden her horizons, and is currently in the early stages of a burgeoning solo career. Sarah White’s voice can be described as hypnotic at times, with breathy, soothing soliloquies, and deep, seductive stanzas. What’s impressive is her ability to effortlessly transform from singer to emcee, as in the introspective song, C Train. In this selection, she combines a spitfire flow, with dancehall style chatting and soulful melody, to create her own unique “scatois”. Each of Sarah’s songs is a perfectly balanced moment, reflecting the full spectrum of her vocal abilities and bringing a positive focus to the issues of growth, fulfillment, and love. Sonically, Sarah’s primary producer DJ Don Cuco has presented a menu of indigenous sounds and synthesized instrumentation that perfectly compliments the versatility of Sarah’s voice. It’s a proven formula for success as Sarah White has opened for artists such as Jill Scott, J*Davey, K-Os, Camp Lo, Amy Winehouse, Ursula Rucker, Fishbone, and The Roots, and performed at such New York staples as Smooch in Fort Greene, Solomon’s Porch in Bed-Stuy, The Knitting Factory in Manhattan, and the Apollo in Harlem. She was also featured in 2007’s Black Lily Festival in Philly, and is poised to become the next post-genre fixture, much like fellow Minnesota export Nikki Jean of Philadelphia’s Nouveau Riche. Sarah White has clearly found her calling, and we should all join in her commute to the top. .
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