New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Singer-Songwriter Alana Davis will play select East Coast live dates in in support of her latest release Love Again. The trek, kicking off today, will hit Washington DC,
Boston and her native New York City (Dates below.) Love Again was released May 4th via
Cleopatra Records and is Davis' first studio album in thirteen years.
The album features collaborations with the Eurhythmics' Dave Stewart, Native's Brian Jobson, Hit Reggae Producers Sly & Robbie (No Doubt, Sinead O'Connor) and neo-soul drumming legend Gene Lake (Maxwell, D'Angelo, Meshell Ndegeocello). Reggae is a notable influence in the new record's sound and has been supported by Alana's shows at
Sierra Nevada World
Music Festival and during opening slots for Steel Pulse.
"The title of this album has multiple meanings," says Davis, "there's the playful, sarcastic nod to my fans of 'yeah, I'm writing about love again!'. And another that's derived from the title track, which is about finding the strength to love again after the end of a meaningful relationship. And then there's the pronouncement of my return to music, an industry with which I had fallen out of love for an extended period, but came to realize it was still such a part of me".
Alana Davis exploded onto the music scene with her 1998 Billboard Top 40 hit "32 Flavors" showcasing her sultry voice and distinct musicality. Davis has since attracted a loyal following and cites Love Again as her 'most honest' record to date after taking an extended break from the business of music to raise her daughter. With encouragement from her family and close friends, Davis decided she wanted to re-emerge on her own terms, release an album on a boutique label and take the show on the road. These select dates, which include opening sets from other female singer-songwriters like Be Steadwell and
Elizabeth & the Catapult, will be the prelude to a bigger tour.
It seems Davis was born to make music. Her mother is Anna Schofield, a noted jazz vocalist whose 1963 Atlantic Records release, Anamari, was produced by the legendary Nesuhi Ertegun and featured jazz greats Art farmer, Grady Tate, Jim Hall and Clark Terry. Her father is acclaimed jazz pianist Walter Davis Jr., who played with Charlie Parker, Art Blakey and
Dizzy Gillespie and whose albums Davis Cup and In Walked Thelonius are considered jazz classics.
Her music career kicked off when a friend gave a demo to an Elektra A&R rep and soon thereafter she had a major label deal, a top 40 hit and a grueling schedule including TV appearances on The
Tonight Show and The Late Show. She was also the only female main stage act for the 1998 H.O.R.D.E. Festival. Proving that her sound transcends genres,
Jay-Z prominently sampled Alana's voice and song "
Murder" on his triple-platinum album Vol. 3...Life & Time of S. Carter which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Albums Chart. Her collaboration with hip-hop artists would continue with Pharrell Williams, who produced tracks for Alana's sophomore album, Fortune Cookies (Elektra Records). She also toured or opened for many notable artists including Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Ziggy Marley, Indigo Girls, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Steel Pulse, Jethro Tull,
Steve Winwood and many more.
In the early 2000's, Alana's voice was heard by over 100 million people during a Superbowlcommercial for Sony Electronics, where she covered the Crosby,
Stills & Nash classic "
Carry On". Subsequently,
Gloria Steinem invited Alana to perform at the Ms. Foundation Awards prior to releasing her third record, Surrender Dorothy, in partnership with the TelArc record label.
Tour Dates:
10/15 - Washington DC - City Winery
10/16 - New York, NY - City Winery
10/17 - Boston, MA - City Winery