Shakura S'Aida - Blueprint

1. No More Trouble Out of Me
2. He Doesn't Care (About My Broken Heart)
3. One Monkey Don't Stop The Show | Hi | Lo |
4. Getting Along Alright | Hi | Lo |
5. Stop It Baby | Hi | Lo |
6. Rain Down Rain
7. Las Vegas Blues
8. Me and My Chauffeur Blues
9. Big City Lights (Have You Seen My Baby)
10. I'm Living with the Blues
11. Gotta Live | Hi | Lo |

Shakura's debut solo blues album “Blueprint”, signals a new beginning with some very old music. Blessed with the human musical reservoir Eddy B, some inspiration from Bill King and a lot of time in some very dusty places , Shakura was able to narrow in on songs that she felt ‘gave her something to sing about’. Songs that were once sung by Big Maybelle, Memphis Minnie, Big Mama Thornton and other phenomenal women of the time each become Shakura’s personal anthems.

Bringing together the musical talent of Denis Keldie, Howard Ayee, Michelle Josef and guitarist/producer James Bryan gave Shakura’s blues a new canvas to paint on. Guest artist David Rotundo and Harrison Kennedy added a little grit and enough silkiness to spice and smooth wherever necessary, and divas turned back-up singers for the night, Shannon Maracle and Jackie Richardson sashayed where no one has ever gone before.

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Reviews:

Exclaim Magazine , March 2007

Shakura S’Aida
Blueprint
By Kerry Doole

She has long been tagged as a rising young blues star and Shakura S’Aida shows why on this very impressive album. The Toronto songstress teamed up with producer/guitarist James Bryan (the Philosopher Kings) and the sessions at Canterbury Music featured an A-list of local players. The result is a production sound that’s a cut above that of your standard low-budget indie offering, and this does full justice to S’Aida’s powerhouse voice. It’s refreshing to find a contemporary blues singer unafraid to stick to a classic style, rather than trying to throw hip-hop or modern R&B strains into the mix. Some of the tunes she covers here are familiar (“One Monkey Don’t Stop The Show,” Brownie McGhee’s “I’m Living With The Blues”), others less so. They range from soulful ballads to more up-tempo, horn-driven songs, while “Me And My Chauffeur Blues” is a classic double-entendre song perfectly suited to S’Aida’s lusty, full-blooded voice, one that never gets excessively histrionic (though the finale of “Rain Down Rain” comes close). Shakura contributes just two original songs, but judging from the closing tune, the righteously affirmative “Gotta Live,” she’s no slouch as a songwriter either. This is a genre as much about interpretation as creation though, and S’Aida does that superbly here.(Independent)

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Tandem Online Magazine

Shakura S'Aida's blueprint for success
Toronto singer's new CD eliciting rave reviews
By Kerry Doole

Originally Published: 2007-02-18

She has entitled her new record Blueprint, but Toronto songstress Shakura S'Aida isn't viewing it as her plan for world domination. Her initial expectations for it were modest, she told Tandem recently. "I made this album so I could get into festivals. I wasn't thinking about releases, radio play, managers or anything other than to put out something I'd be proud of and could say 'listen to this.'"
People are listening. The disc is getting rave reviews, plenty of blues radio play, and the festivals are calling. "The response is like gravy on grits or honey in my tea," says S'Aida in typically poetic fashion. "It's more than I expected and is incredibly flattering, but it's not why I did it."
American born, but long a proud citizen of Toronto, Shakura has long been considered a shining star within this city's live music scene. She's also a very accomplished actor on stage and screen, but is quick to call music her true calling. Her greatest passion is singing live, and those who've seen her in action in the clubs, at Massey Hall with the Womens Blues Revue, or at the Beaches and Distillery jazz and blues festivals know she's a natural.
"For me to sing live is to give thanks in the hugest way possible for what I've been given.
"The best way to sing live is on an open stage. It feels like you're singing to the heavens and to the entire world and that there's no place your voice can't reach. Technically you know you're not hitting the CN Tower but it feels like that. Also, you can react according to the energy that is coming at you."
It's no surprise, then, that Shakura's first solo CD, Out There And Lovin' It, was recorded live at the Trane Studio. A bigger budget was involved with Blueprint, recorded at Canterbury Music with an A list of local players. Thankfully, a live vibe was captured, and S'Aida is full of praise for producer James Bryan and the band (veterans Dennis Keldie, Howard Ayee, Michelle Josef and Simon Wallis).
"I got my dream band, musicians who respect the blues. They are singers' musicians, as they leave space for the singer to sing their heart out. Don't treat me like a diva but just give me a little space to do what I need to do. To have musicians with that experience yet who respect what you can bring to the table-was an honour."

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