Atlanta-born singer Nicole Wray met her English colleague Terri Walker in New York in 2009. They soon found out that their common love for soul classics and hip-hop beats could turn out to be a fun album. To bring things into the right musical lines, they sought out the production direction of Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman who had previously taken care of artists such as Adele, Aloe Blacc and Lee
… Fields. Since all songs were created with a full band, there is little to be heard of the love for hip hop. And that's a good thing, because this gives the soul, strongly weaned from the sixties, a much more swinging character than ever could have been possible with static beats. Thanks to the cheerfulness that both singers radiate, their repertoire is very similar to the part of the Motown catalog that was intended for the white audience. By slowing down strongly with the pop influences, Lady stays on the black side of soul music, so that all songs come across as very spontaneous and natural. (AD)more
