Sophia Darcell

Announcements 03/13/08 - The newly solo songstress Sophia Darcell is working on material for her new single to be released 2008. Check back here for updates.

"Soul Eclectic" Album Available Now

Released Aug. 29, 2006. Get your chill on with "Soul Eclectic". Only $12.99 for the sexiest socially conscious album of the year. 12 sensual caribbean soul infused grooves. Purchase Singles at iTunes Now!
Or buy the full album now at CDBABY.com or Amazon.com
News Updates

02/22/07The votes for the IMA’s first Vox Populi Independent Music Awards have been tallied and Sophia Darcell’s voted a winner for R&B Album of the Year by the people. Too bad the celebrity judges didn’t agree, but we’ve got love for ’em too! View the results here . Sophia Darcell set for interview with ThisIsRealMusic.com. Look out for the interview in early March. CurlySoul.com features Sophia Darcell...Listening to here voice over at sophiadarcell.com and her MySpace site, I think I can not really put it in better words. Being a passionate fan of Sade, that was exactly what first came to mind when I listened to Sophia - CurlySoul.com, Read it here . New interview with Mike of LifeAndSoulPromotions.uk coming soon.

02/03/07 Get personal with Sophia via Carolina Jones’ interview over at UnsignedTheMagazine.com -
Sophia Darcell is that fresh morning breeze seeping through your window pane. Her sound is jazzy lovliness offered up on the alter pure sound that appeases the sound gods with an unheard of swiftness. With a breathy sound from her blessed voice they are made grateful…and so are we. Sit back and enjoy meeting this soulful beauty.
Sophia claims to have an old soul “…and a lot of my influences extend way past my being a kid. I listen to folks like Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald.” Growing up Sophia listened to the likes of Soul II Soul, Sade, Santana, Gladys Knight, Buena Vista Social Club, etc. In truth, her tastes were and are very diverse which is why it is difficult to pin down her musical style... Read more of the interview here. Sophia Darcell fans we appreciate your patience in getting the "7 Seas" music video out. Unfortunately, we’ve run into a snag with one of the band members. Video production has been delayed until late March 07. The lady and her band will be part of the AIDS Walk benefit this year, with shows scheduled for Ft. Lauderdale, NYC, and San Francisco. We’ll be announcing "Soul Eclectic" tour dates and more information soon.

01/15/07 Read the latest review on "Soul Eclectic". Michael at Trueartistentertainment.com has a lot to say. Read the interview . Production schedule for the "7 Seas" music video has been rescheduled for a late Spring date. Please check back with us for updates. Sophia Darcell featured at ArtistDirect.com’s Rhythm & Blues Section. "They Love Like That" single to be added to WGDR 91.1 FM & Riddim Masters’ Vibes 90.6 FM in the UK. JazzyLounge.com adds single "Thru the Desert" to playlist. Check out this smooth funky jazzalicious station at here.

12/10/06Don’t miss the Sophia Darcell Interview on TyneFM.com airing the 16th of December 2006 at 12PM (UK Time)! If you miss it you can hear it again from Monday 18th December 2006. Check their website for details. TyneFM.com . Sophia and the band make SoulTrack.com’s Top Ten. Show teh band some love at SoulTracks.com . Stay tuned for the music video debut of "7 Seas". Still in production, look for it to go live soon.

11/13/06 AyeJay at ArtHausNYC.com comments on the "Soul Eclectic" album. Read his review at ArthausNYC.com . More groovalicios reviews in for the lady and the band. Read the latest review from Dennis Poole of SmoothJazzTherapy.com and SoulTracks.com here .

11/01/06 The 2007 IMAs nominate the band’s "Soul Eclectic" for R&B Album of the Year! Judges include Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Gabriel, Suzanne Vega, Beenie Man, and others so the lady and her band need your votes! If you’re diggin’ the grooves, take a few seconds and cast your vote at 2007 IMAs . VOTE FOR "SOUL ECLECTIC" R&B ALBUM OF THE YEAR! 2007 IMAs Sophia & Kenny interview with Mark Edward Nero of About/R&B.com.
Excerpt - But despite the strongly suggestive lyrics, Darcell insists the song isn’t about making love. "I was standing alone on South Beach," she explains of how she came up with the song. "I was in the water and had my little writing pad. I stood there and was watching the waves and said ’love is kind of like the seas. It washes everything it comes in contact with. A lot of people think that song’s about sex, but it’s not."Read the rest of the interview at About/R&B.com The Singer & The Bassist Two new reviews of "Soul Eclectic" at SoulandFunkMusic.com and About.com/R&B. Be sure to check them out!

10/25/06 "They Love Like That" and "7 Seas" added to several additional radio stations. Details announced soon! Sophia Darcell interviewed by UnsignedtheMagazine.com and New York Time’s Company About.com/R&B. Read the interviews at Sophia Darcell’s website . SophiaDarcell.tv debuts November ’07. Enjoy behind the scenes video footage from the studio, rehearsals, etc. "7 Seas" music video to debut late November. Visit www.SophiaDarcell.tv. Coming soon!

09/28/06 The "Soul Eclectic" tour will launch Summer 2007 starting with a performance at NYC’s Lion Den.

09/09/06 the band Sophia Darcell is not only blowin’ up the UK, the "Soul Ecletic" album sold out twice during it’s first week of sales at CDBABY.com . Across the Atlantic, UK audio aficionados are feeling Miss Lady & the Band. Sophia Darcell’s "Soul Eclectic" album is moving like hot cakes. Indie filmmaker Bert Payne will direct the "7 Seas" music video late September 06. With the lush paradise of the Grand Bahamas as a backdrop, the new video is sure to be as hot and sexy as the groove itself. Check out the premier of the "7 Seas" music video at SophiaDarcell.tv. this October! For more info on the band Sophia Darcell, visit the official website at SophiaDarcell.com

Soul Eclectic Reviews
February 07, UnsignedTheMagazine.com - Sophia Darcell is that fresh morning breeze seeping through your window pane. Her sound is jazzy lovliness offered up on the alter pure sound that appeases the sound gods with an unheard of swiftness. With a breathy sound from her blessed voice they are made grateful…and so are we. - Carolina Jones
January 07, TrueArtistEntertainment.com - Sophia Darcell’s Soul Eclectic is one the best Cds I’ve heard in a long time.
She is a mix of Sade and Norah Jones. “7 Seas” is a sexy song about being in love. It has a groove that won’t get out of your head after you hear it. “They Love Like That” is a mid-tempo song about how opposites attract. The song reminds lovers to keep folks out their business. “Make Up Your Mind” is a standout love song. Sophia’s voice is strong and delicate at the same time as she passionately sings, “I can’t wait for you to make up your mind/Either you love me or you don‘t”.
She gets it moving on the lovely funk song “Thru the Desert” The song uses horns, which makes the song go to another level. It is throwback sound reminiscent of Chaka Khan when she was with Rufus. You believe her when she says “ Baby you know I’d crawl thru the desert sands”. Now, that is some love right there!
Sophia has created a unique collection of songs about love, devotion and desire. Its Soul Eclectic title suits this CD every well.
Standout Tracks: “7 Seas” “Who’s it Gonna Be?”
December 06, Echoes, Soul Sides - Soul’s a broad church. Thus while I’ve spent a lot of this month hung up on Ms. Winehouse and her various doings, there’s still plenty of room for such as Sophia Darcell, a Miami Soulstress whose vibe is very much of a Sade-meets-Incognito-but-doesn’t-forget-to-spin-their- old-Curtis-Mayfield-albums nature. Soul Eclectic, on the Florida indie GrooveCraft Entertainment, is groovesexy almost all the way through, the bass line and breathy saxes affording the Sade-like pulse, the guitars wah wahing away like one o the gentler tracks from Roots or America Today, and the vocal delivered in,maybe, a N’Dea Davenport-sh tones. [OK, she’s a Heavy and not from Bluey’s bunch, but it’s the same territory].
Check Sophia on myspace, where you’ll find a video of one of her tunes performed in-club with the band that appears on the album. Chances are if you like what you can hear there or elsewhere a sample, then you’ll be happy with the entire album: its consistency is one of its most impressive qualities. -Chris Wells, Echoes Magazine (UK)
November 06, ArtHausNYC.com - Soul Eclectic is a delightful tapestry of downtempo and midtempo souljazz grooves. I always said that a downtempo and/or midtempo album is the hardest to make because the artist has to keep the listener interested.
The combination of Sophia Darcell warm vocals and the musicianship of the band makes for an shining example of what sophisticated soul is suppose to sound like. This band is continuing the tradition started by such great bands Incognito, Fertile Ground, and The Rebirth. Sophia Darcell’s Soul Eclectic has that warm hypnotic groove that will grab hold and not let go. - AyeJaye, ArtHausNYC.com
November 06, Soultracks.com - Soul Eclectic, the sophomore release from sultry soul singer Sophia Darcell, has been described as “one of the sexiest yet socially conscious albums you will ever hear.” While I always caution against hype that approaches the pretentious this CD certainly possesses, to one extent or another, elements of both these attributes and is a huge change of direction from her 2001 debut Love = Pain. It’s a shift placing her firmly in the area of vocal smooth jazz that in some quarters is referred to as urban jazz but which I feel is better described as smooth R & B. Comparisons with Sade are cheap and easy but the music leans toward many influences with the end product being very much all Sophia’s own work. She is joined in her soulful endeavor by Eric Escanes and Marcello Falconi on guitars, Dave Gabbillet on drums and Kenneth Williams on bass to produce what has been compared elsewhere to a sexy wall of sound...- Dennis Poole, SmoothJazzTherapy.com (Read the rest of the review SoulTracks.com .)
November 06, SoulandFunkMusic.com - Miami based Urban Rock/R&B/Jazz band Sophia Darcell is not new in the music scene. She and her band already released "Love=Pain" back in 2001. Their new album is officialy released in augustus of this year by a new label GrooveCraft productions. The album sold out on CDBaby.com one day after release. "Soul Eclectic" is a neo soul album a musical blending of seventiesSoul with R&b (new Groove) and Jazz. Read the rest of the review .- Mark, SoulandFunkMusic.com
November 06, About.com R&B - The Bottom Line Listening to Sophia Darcell’s sophomore album, Soul Eclectic, is like spending a warm Sunday afternoon at the beach. The 12 songs it contains are breezy like an coastal wind; but also warm, like a seaside bonfire. Darcell’s brand of smooth Jazz-infused, soulful R&B is also airy and pleasant, even some of the topics, such as child abuse (on the song "His Sweet Face") and forcing a lover’s hand regarding what they want to do in a relationship ("Make Up Your Mind") are not. Read more .
October 06, SoulBrother.com - Very nice smooth and sultry album from Miami songstress, that reminds me of both Sade and the Kuh Ledesma album from a few years back. The catchy dancer ’7 Seas’ has a mildly funky backing, ’They Love Like That’ is a modern dancer, ’Ceyrah’ and ’Make up Your Mind’ are mid tempo tracks with unusual backing. The mid tempo plodder ’Senor Alvarez’ is another highlight. The full band play well throughout and the soft horns and acoustic guitar interspersing with Sophia’s sophisticated voice gives the album a nice feel, that is familiar but refreshingly different, which will appeal to both soul and smooth jazz fans. - Soulbrother.com
September 06, Earwax Records, ATL - NeoSoul: Allow me to thank my man, Nate Holloway (of GrooveCraft Productions), for blessing me with the Soul Eclectic CD by the beautiful and talented Sophia Darcell.
Back with her sophomore effort, after a 5 year hiatus, the music will put you in the mindset of Incognito, Lisa Stansfield or even Candy Dulfer, as the band has its game tight! From laid back, cool-out cuts like Thru The Desert and lead single Charades to smooth, relaxing vibe of songs like Senor Alvarez and the critically-acclaimed 7 Seas this is one of those albums that can transport you to another time and place. Other favorites on this CD will undoubtedly be Someday Someone and the smokin Who’s It Gonna Be on which Steve Cunningham showcases his mad guitar skills. Add to that, the island feel of Ceyrah and you will have several faves to put on repeat! - DJ Random.......(Read the entire review here )
September ’06, JazzChicago.net - From the first conga beat, you can feel the heat rising from the pavement down Miami way .. see the tanned and bikini clad bodies striding past on South Beach .. sense the simmering sensuality of the disco dance floor. The lonely-bull trumpet floats in the neon burn while the guitar snakes about your ankles like an angry cobra .. then Sophia Darcell..s voice .. tough and sexy comes in and you are transported there to a place where tropic heat meets Motown grit and the swaying of bodies mirrors that of the palm trees in the trade winds.
Finding a niche where no one has seemingly ventured, Sophia Darcell..s latest release .. ..Soul Eclectic,.. melds the Carribean stylings of Sade with the super-flying of Curtis Mayfield 70..s soul .. and it..s a combination that succeeds nicely. Over a solid funky-jazzy band, swinging percussion propulsion, bull-fight horns by Ken Watters and the wacka-wacka, wah-wah pedal of Steve Cunningham, Darcell provides a luscious spread of tangy and spicy vocal delights. She is never less than convincing in her portrayal of a modern Latin lady in (and out of) love.
..7 Seas.. is the first single and it charms and delights with its breezy island approach and nylon string feathery graces. ..Make Up Your Mind.. and ..Who..s it Gonna Be.. features the singer telling her man (or ex) the way it is, and you..d better listen. ..Through the Desert.. comes straight from the mean streets .. you can almost hear the sirens wail in the steamy night. ..Charades.. is funked-up fun, ..Senor Alverez.. is a wonderful little pop ditty with an infectious chorus, while "Crazy Alone" is another soulful gem that should be a hit .. dammit!
If you are a fan of Latin funk and/or 70..s soul I think you will enjoy the spicy combination Sophia Darcell and her band have whipped up on Soul Eclectic. For those of us stuck in the coming winter chill .. this is just the recording to help us heat up those cold winter nights ahead. - Brad Walseth
(http://www.jazzchicago.net/darcell.html)
September ’06, KUVO.org - As far as I’m concerned, her cd is one of the best I have heard all year! I get many cdz sent to me for airplay, hers is great. If I had my way, it would be up for a grammy! - Skip
June ’06, LifeAndSoulPromotions.net - From the forthcoming album due on June 29 2006 and if this sampler is anything to go by it will be very much worth it. Sophia Darcell is the band but it is very much built around the sultry easy vocals of Sophia Darcell. The musicianship though is excellent and it is a fusion of styles and they particularly cite British bands, but I detect a bunch more than that like the funky guitar and percussion on They Love Like That and the Curtis Mayfield on 7 Seas....(Read the entire review here )
August 06, Zeitgeist-Scot.Co.UK - Sometimes all you need is a good singer singing. Nothing fancy, nothing clever. Just a voice that calms and soothes you, eases away the cares of the day. And that’s what the voice of Sophia Darcell does on the free and easy EP of smooth, organic, jazzy r’n’b vibes......(Read the entire review here )
More Reviews on the way.
Bio Short
Just back from a year long hiatus from the successful indie release of Soul Eclectic and ’06 performances in NYC, Miami, and Atlanta, Sophia Darcell is currently working on new material for her third album. In the meantime, enjoy the smooth fusion of Jazz, Rock, Funk, and R&B from her last CD release "Soul Eclectic" which earned much fanfare. Sophia Darcell brings to mind Brit-Soul artists like Brand New Heavies, Sade, Les Nubians, and Incognito.
More announcements and news coming soon.
Contact GrooveCraft Productions
David R. Johnson, Artist Relations
[email protected]