Raphael Saadiq's 'Raphael Saadiq As Ray Ray' debuts at No 3 on Billboard's 'Independent Albums' Chart and No 86 on the 'Top 200 Albums' Chart

LOS ANGELES (Pookie Ent.) - Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter/musician/producer Raphael Saadiq's highly anticipated RAPHAEL SAADIQ AS RAY RAY album debuts at No 3 on Billboard's "Independent Albums" chart this week, having sold over 13,000 copies its first week out. It also debuts at No 86 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, edging out De La Soul for the slot by only 62 copies.

In touring news, Raphael will launch a nationwide trek starting November 4 in Toronto at The Guvernment. It'll take him through New York City, Baltimore, Atlanta and other major cities before concluding late November. Before the tour kicks off, Raphael will be performing at a special in-store appearance at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 28 at 7pm.

Raphael recently performed hits old and new in front of a slew of adoring fans in London as part of a five-night, sold-out residence at the Jazz Cafe. In a four-out-of-five star review in England's The Guardian newspaper, the show was hailed as "a beautifully orchestrated gospeldelic set 'Saadiq, moving ever further from the same-old soul singer stereotype, more than makes good on his self-summation of 'number one.'"

RAPHAEL SAADIQ AS RAY RAY is the follow-up to 2002's critically acclaimed and three-time Grammy-nominated album, INSTANT VINTAGE. Saadiq was also nominated in 2002 for two Grammy Awards for co-writing - along with Jake & The Phatman, Erykah Badu and James Poyser - the No 1 smash hit "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)" from the "Brown Sugar" soundtrack.
He ultimately took home the "Best R&B Song" prize for "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)."
Ironically enough, Saadiq garnered the Grammy nominations for INSTANT VINTAGE only weeks after amicably parting ways with Universal Records, who released the album May 2002.