Marketing Program/ Banner/ Listening Station Titles Promoted This Week:
Aaliyah – I Care 4 U [Reissue/2001] CD (Empire)
I Care 4 U is the first posthumous compilation album by the “Princess of R&B,” Aaliyah. Following her tragic and untimely passing, Blackground Records released a posthumous record including songs from her studio albums and previously unreleased tracks and demos, as well as hit singles and recordings that ultimately did not land on any previous albums. This 2001 compilation album was a commercial success and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum. It features the previously unreleased “Miss You.”
Aaliyah – Ultimate Aaliyah [Reissue/2005] 2xCD (Empire)
Ultimate Aaliyah is the second and final compilation album by R&B singer Aaliyah. Originally released by Blackground Records in only the UK, Australia, and Japan, the 2005 double album features one disc of Aaliyah’s greatest hits and a disc entitled Are You Feelin’ Me? containing material from soundtracks and featured work with labelmate Timbaland.
Cimafunk – El Alimento CD (Terapia Productions)
El Alimento (translation: the nutrient) is the monumental second album from Cimafunk, the Cuban medical-student-turned-Latin-funk-star who crash-landed onto the music scene with his debut album Terapia in 2017 and an electric live show that been compared to that of James Brown. The sonically dynamic collection masterfully blends Afro-Cuban sounds and rhythms with global funk, hip-hop and soul—resulting in a progressive, head-bopping celebration of black music’s power to eclipse borders and cross-pollinate across cultures. Written and recorded over the last year, the album served as an alimento for the soul, a motivation to persevere through the pandemic, as Cimafunk spent countless hours studying decades of musical influences to help understand who he is musically and culturally, and thus, where he wanted this album to take him. As innovative funk forefather George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic), who sings alongside Cimafunk on the opening track “Funk Aspirin”, says: “Cimafunk takes it back there while keeping it in the now. It’s what we do, always reinventing the Funk to keep it fresh.” [Vinyl edition due in 2022.]
The Record Company – Play Loud CD (Concord)
The Record Company has outgrown the home recording of previous records and enlisted Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Sardy (Fall Out Boy, A Perfect Circle, Modest Mouse) to work with them on their third studio album, Play Loud. It also finds the band collaborating with outside songwriters for the first time ever, including Kevin Griffin and Sam Hollander on single “How High”. The result is a sonic growth both in music and in songwriting, highlighting an ever-evolving band bringing rock back to the masses. On Play Loud, the group stretches out artistically and explores their far-flung influences. “On the first two albums, people might have thought we were three guys who sit around a campfire, praying to Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, and we’re not,” notes bassist Alex Stiff. “We’re three different guys with different musical tastes. It’s time for all of us to show our individuality, and this record shows us evolving.” [Indie store exclusive vinyl edition due October 29.]
