NEW YORK (Atlantic Records) - "KEVIN LYTTLE," the self-titled Atlantic debut album from the
St. Vincent native, has been certified gold by the RIAA for U.S. in excess of half a million units. The acclaimed collection - which last month made an extraordinary No 8 debut on the Billboard 200 - is the most successful album ever by a soca artist, heralding the genre's emergence as the latest Caribbean musical wave to cross over into the pop mainstream.
The breakthrough achievement of "KEVIN LYTTLE" has been fuelled by the irrepressible hit single, "Turn Me On." The fiery track has been the crossover pop sensation of Summer 2004, dwelling in the top ten on Billboard's "Hot 100" for ten consecutive weeks. "Turn Me On" is also a top ten smash at both CHR/Pop and CHR/Rhythmic radio outlets nationwide.
In addition, the "Turn Me On" clip - directed by Little X (Sean Paul, R. Kelly, Destiny's Child) - earned "Buzzworthy" status at MTV and MTV2, reaching the top five on "TRL" and the top ten at both networks. The video was also a top ten, "Rated Next" favorite on BET, while also enjoying major spins on Fuse.
Lyttle has made recent national television appearances on "The View," "Live with Regis and Kelly," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," CNN, and Spike TV. He also performed on BET's "106 & Park" and MTV's "TRL," visited the MTV Beach House for their "HITS" show, took part in MTV2's "Sucker Free Sundays," and appeared on Fuse's "Daily Download."
The second single from "KEVIN LYTTLE" will be the bright and buoyant "Drive Me Crazy." The track is set to impact at multi-format radio outlets coast-to-coast on September 27th. In addition, Lyttle's music will be featured prominently in the upcoming New Line Cinema motion picture, "After The Sunset," directed by Brett Ratner and starring Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, and Woody Harrelson. Both the film (opening November 12th) and Atlantic's companion soundtrack album (due October 26th) will feature the Lyttle songs "Drive Me Crazy," "I Got It," and "Sign Your Name."
Along with its popular success, "KEVIN LYTTLE" has also reaped bountiful critical acclaim. The New York Times declared that the album is "likely to turn (Lyttle) into this country's first mainstream soca star," while USA Today awarded the album three stars, noting that "the bouncy 'Turn Me On' is the biggest soca hit in 20 years, but it's just a taste of Lyttle's eclectic, effusive sound."
