How It All Begins
On Sunday, I took a trip out to the coliseum on Jamaica Ave., the home of mix cd's, bootleg videos and faux designer warez. Mother Nature was beaming, giving NY a taste of what she's got in store for us in a few months, beautiful, warm, springtime weather.
I was down there to pick up some muslim black soap and incense, but I ended up buying a cd as well. What got the $5 out of my pocket? The constant thumping of one of the hottest songs out right now, "Heard It All Before."
I heard it (no pun intended) a few times before and saw the video on Ralph Mcdaniel's late night video show, but there is always a moment when you connect with a song and you just can't get it out of your head.
Sunshine Anderson is responsible for the latest tune stuck......right here... in my cranium.
Some Bio
Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sunshine felt the love of a textbook southern family - think love, support - think Soul Food - and think music. Her parents were into music and played it around the house regularly. Sunshine grew to appreciate it and showed a natural gift for singing. Her parents encouraged her to pursue her craft and she did so by participating in school plays, talent shows, and the rigueur for the best singers, the church choir.
She worked at it constantly, visualizing the day when she would get her big break.
Flash forward a few years later. Sunshine is attending North Carolina Central University. While on line at the school cafeteria, she's humming a song and a guy tells her that he knows somebody that would love to hear her sing. (That old gag.) She laughs, but plays along with him. The guy that she's introduced to, Mike City likes what he hears and they become friends, both with dreams of making it happen in the music business.
Well, Sunshine graduates from NCCU, with a bachelors degree in criminal justice, still without a record deal,
so she decides to move to Washington, D.C. to take a Human Resources job with the government. While working the nine to five, she's still got her mind set on doing the music thing. One day she makes the decision that it's now or never, it's time to pursue her dreams 24-7, so she quits and heads out to L.A. with Mike City and they started to work on the album.
The Outcome
It took nine years, but with a foundation of friendship, family, and business, she was able to make the album that she had always dreamed of.
The name of the album? 'Your Woman'
The first release on Atlantic's new venture with the L.A. based Soulife Entertainment.
Mike City, now the vice president of A&R for Soulife Entertainment, put in some work behind the boards. He has also contributed his talents to Carl Thomas's 'I Wish' and Dave Hollister's 'One Woman Man.'
Now picture the vibe of those records, erase the male vocals and slowly drop in a female voice that's soulful, honey coated, and bursting with emotions that you feel the instant that you hear them.
You're listening to Sunshine Anderson.
