Alice Smith makes “soulful music draped with vocal stylings that run the spectrum from playful, to seductive, to eerily haunting.” (Okayplayer) Her voice is a rare and deeply expressive instrument, anchoring her R&B-meets-jazz songwriting with a treasure trove of memorable, personal lyrics. After years of cutting her teeth in New York’s Afro-Punk scene, her 2006 debut, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me leapt out of the gate with a GRAMMY in Best Urban/Alternative category, and Vibe Magazine praised the record for “evoking Fiona Apple’s finest material.”
The album earned a re-release on Epic Records following a bidding war, but the adjustment to major-label lifestyle was not smooth – personnel changes, artistic differences, and red tape caused her sophomore record, She, to be shelved for nearly a decade, only to be triumphantly self-released in 2013. “Another Girl,” the lead single, was covered by Prince on his album Plectrumelectrum with 3rdeyegirl.
Bilal is one of the great veterans of New York City neo-soul and “one of the most dynamic and progressive vocalists in contemporary music.” (AllMusic) He has collaborated with everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Beyonce, Erykah Badu to Common. Pianist, composer, and “wunderkind” (AllMusic) Kris Bowers sets the tone of this triple bill.