- Title: USA: NEWLY FORMED GROUP LUCY PEARL ISSUE THEIR DEBUT DISC
- Date: 17th April 2000
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) SMV (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBINSON TALKING ABOUT HER WORK WITH EN VOGUE AND FUTURE PLANS IN ADDITION TO LUCY PEARL, SAYING "No to me it's backwards, you know what I'm saying. I grew from that and I learned and of course it put me where I'm at and I love the girls and I wish them well but I'm not there anymore menta
- Embargoed: 2nd May 2000 13:00
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- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US / VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA8WM6FLKBQNI17M8VZAUZYVO2B
- Story Text: Lucy Pearl is described by its members as "something tight and precious as a pearl and loose but funky like musical grooves".The newly formed group features Raphael Saadiq, formerly of the dynamic funk/soul band Tony!Toni!Tone!, Dawn Robinson of the trend-setting diva group En Vogue, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of the hip-hop trio A Tribe Called Quest.
Lucy Pearl is the first-time collaboration between three accomplished R&B innovators, producer/singer/songwriter Raphael Saadiq (Tony! Toni! Tone!), singer/songwriter Dawn Robinson (En Vogue), and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest).
Undergroud buzz has been surrounding the group since their December 1999 media conference hosted by internet giant Yahoo.
The debut release, on Saddiq's Pookie Records in conjunction with Beyond Music, has been described as "passionate, disparate, and funky" but diva Robinson prefers "hot".
"It's better than we expected.Actually it's, I mean when people hear the album, outside people start to feel the music, they were like, this is very different.We love it, it's hot, it's different, like a breath of fresh air."
Lucy Pearl was formed in the summer of 1999.All three members were free of their respective musical commitments when Raphael presented first Muhammad then old friend Dawn with the idea of a forming a new musical group.
Dawn was about to sign a contract for a solo deal with a major label when she got word of the project from her initially hesitant manager.
Saadiq's belief in a free, creative approach to making music appealed to both Robinson and Muhammad giving rise to the current collaboration.
Rappers Snoop Dogg and Q-Tip also contributed their skills to a track titled "You".
"Everybody knows what everybody's done is separate as artists and Lucy Pearl, we just say, is a loose thing but it's tight and it's precious like a pearl."
"When people hear it I'm telling you it's like, we just did whatever we felt which is great, there wasn't no structure to it, it wasn't like we were going to do a certain type of sound, doing what other people are doing out there to kind of compete or keep up with the competition and we just did whatever felt good, so, that's Lucy Pearl."
In addition to launching the new label, Saddiq is also having succes writing for other artists currently atop the R&B charts.He wrote and produced "Untitled (How Does It Feel?) for sexy soul-singer D'Angelo in addition to 1995's hit "Brown Sugar".
Spirits were high during the film shoot for the group's first single, "Dance Tonight", with crew members relaying news of radio adds, listener response, and chart reaction to what is sure to become one of this summer's party anthems.
With so much energy going into this project, is there a future for the individual groups from which these talented three sprang? "No to me it's backwards, you know what I'm saying.I grew from that and I learned and of course it put me where I'm at," says Robinson.
"I love the girls and I wish them well, but I'm not there anymore mentally, and maybe one day it will feel good to do that again but right now after this is my solo project actually, we're getting ready to start on that."
"Yeah, we're looking at the future, the future right now is Lucy Pearl and everyone's individual projects," says Muhammad.
"I just can't wait to get out there and for people to see that it's possible to do more groups, to do collective things like this, not just sit there in your one little place."
Lucy Pearl plans a spring tour commencing shortly after the album's May 16th release date. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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