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With Divine Brown (formerly known as Divine Earth Essence), its mostly the voice. Bend a note here, extend a phrase there, scat somewhere else to suit the mood of the rhythm track. Most urban-pop music aficionados have already known for the last few years that when you need a vocalist to shut the house down, you call Divine Brown. When Brown belts out her typically tender soul music numbers, its as clear a partnership of soul, pop and jazz as youll hear in the clubs, or on the airwaves. The most common views held about her vocal tapestry? 5 Octave range. Her pipes must be the product of another time period, when vocal chops really mattered. With her self-titled debut, Brown makes a successful leap from slightly-below-the-radar local vocal phenom to full-on, ready-for-the world soul chanteuse.Divine Brown is a culmination of her years as an only child spent near her trusty radio mimicking the sounds of the day; from Chaka Khan and Anita Baker to Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder. Music was my release, my outlet, admits the Toronto-bred Brown. I heard Mariah Carey hit a high note one day, and said I know I can do that. Then one day when I was laughing hard, accidentally, my voice went into a high pitchthats when I realized that I have what you call an extended vocal register (read: she can go all Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey on you, and quite possibly shatter some glass)
After years spent gigging on the R&B club circuit, some might say this is when she really began to hone her renowned octave range, this gift that magically appeared with minimal vocal training. Its funny because Ive always sounded a lot older than I was. I was writing songs at 14 years old and shopping my demo at 18. I spent six years trying to get a deal, because a lot of A&Rs didnt know what to do with such a mature voice coming from someone so young. Unfazed, Brown began cutting her chops in the highly competitive world of live theatre ultimately performing in the highly acclaimed off-broadway hit Mama, I Wanna Singwhere she understudied the principal character Doris Winterand later appearing in the Toronto production of Jonathan Larsons Rent and in the Tony Award winning Fats Waller musical Aint Misbehavin. With every production, her rep grew bigger.Despite not having a record out, raw talent alone took her abroad to perform in Israel at the Tel-Aviv Jazz Festival, in the International Womens Festival in Germany, landed her a cover story in Word Magazine, and opened up the door to opportunities to share the stage alongside music legends The Temptations, George Benson, Taylor Dayne, Maceo Parker and KRS One. Opening up for Nikka Costa, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu at Torontos Molson Amphitheatre in 2001, created an immediate sense of urgency to meet the demand for her services and made her fans clamor even more for some Divine studio output. The pleas of whens the record coming out? fell on deaf ears as she took her time raising her daughter Tru Asia, becoming a blue belt in Capoeira (Brazilian martial art form which combines song, instruments, physical conversation and killer workouts), and crafting a sound that could appeal to everyone. Not exactly a stranger to crafting catchy radio-friendly hooks and melodies (Infinites Gotta Get Mine), the time had come for someone to reel-in her immense talent, and help sculpt her sound for commercial consumption.Fast forward to 2003, when Chris Smith a savvy music executive whod helmed the career of more than a few feted femme fatales; from Grammy winner Nelly Furtado, 5 time Grammy nominated Tamia and Juno award winner Fefe Dobsoncontacted Brown about recording for his new Blacksmith imprint. Though her past recording credits didnt gain quite enough exposure to catapult her to where she deserved to be it did help her build a strong grassroots fan base.Divine Brown is more than about technical ability, or purity of voice. Thats a given. What makes Brown one of the more intriguing vocalists of today is her facts-of-life approach to song-making. The 13 cut deep CD reflects a rollercoaster ride of emotions, a trip listeners will not want to get off of. With the debut single Old School Love, which she plays bass on, a throwback soul track produced by James Bryan, Divine Brown sees herself as a multi-dimensional talent playing the role of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist (her main instrument being the bass guitar) on nearly one-half of the songs (at a time when much contemporary R&B is here today, gone tomorrow, musicianship means staying power for me, says Brown).Celebrated Gilla House/Def Jam artist and producer Saukrates hip-hop influence is heard all over the CD; from the bluesy soul of Boss Playa, which taps into the reality of women whove suffered at the hands of philandering menmuch like a Bessie Smith tune wouldto Browns brilliant ode to single mothers (Single Momma) which adds such bald, uncompromising lyrics to her repertoire as she attacks her lines as if they were too heavy for her to lift at times. In the pop landscape, crooners rarely personalize their songs, but when Brown croons hold on, be strongkeep on pushing to the limit and baby everything will be alright she gives the impression that shes lived through what shes singing.On the balladsy U Shook Me, Brown belts out a new millennium-styled romantic soul number, upbeat over a futuristic Saukrates hip-hop backbeat. Says Brown, at heart Im a romantic who wants to be romanced. Over the years Ive loved listening to how a Babyface, David Foster or Burt Bacharach would craft a love song, and use those ideas when writing my material. In fact, ballads might be Browns strongest suit. On the self-produced My Crying Eyes or on Without You (a song that made the cut from her original demo), Brown exposes her soft side, her vulnerabilities. Ballads are a best forum to talk about love, hurt and joy. My aim is to bring that tradition back, but in a hip modern way.Between the cascading keys and thumping bass lines provided by E3 and Saukrates on Something Bout You to her must-hear cover of Joni Mitchells Help Me, the final track Warrior is probably the most lyrically stirring and sophisticated summation of what Divine represents to her fans, both new and old. Warrior is about that little girl who always felt she had something to say. I made a sacrifice to myself to give 100 per cent or nothing in music and life. Brown is one of the definitive soul singers of the new millennium. She sings confidently that my faith is made of steel.
