Wild Seed - Wild Flower
Editorial Reviews
"Dionne's song range from angelic beatitudes to war cries to PASSIONATE declarations of love Early acoustics drive out synthesizer riffs. Arrangements return to basics. Originality is strived for. This is what makes WILD SEED- WiLD FLOWER a creative success..." The Source
Ranked #31 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
Village Voice (19960220)
...Farris stakes out a style of her own. Drawing from rock, funk and blues, she creates a hybrid as original as Sly Stone's...
Musician (19950101)
...pumps new vitality into...`contemporary black music'...Sensual without the grind and hardcore without the hoodie, she lures and ensnares...she projects spiritual blues with a seductive voice...`Passion' [aims] to reclaim Rock music as a Black artform...
The Source (19941201)
Ranked #31 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
Village Voice (19960220)
...Farris stakes out a style of her own. Drawing from rock, funk and blues, she creates a hybrid as original as Sly Stone's...
Musician (19950101)
...pumps new vitality into...`contemporary black music'...Sensual without the grind and hardcore without the hoodie, she lures and ensnares...she projects spiritual blues with a seductive voice...`Passion' [aims] to reclaim Rock music as a Black artform...
The Source (19941201)
20th Anniversary of
Dionne Farris'- I Know
I Know (Official Music Video) Directed by Zack SnyderCharts |
Farris' Will : The Up-and-Coming Artist Is Bound and Determined to Reshape Modern R & BFebruary 02, 1995|MIKE BOEHM | TIMES STAFF WRITER
The video for Dionne Farris' first single, "I Know," has landed in MTV's "Buzz Bin." For an emerging pop artist like Farris, the steady national exposure that entails is like being given a free hotel in one of the better neighborhoods on a Monopoly board: It's no guarantee you'll win the game and collect millions, but it sure doesn't hurt your chances. Farris, however, was not entirely buzzed when she first heard that MTV was playing it. To her, the version of the video that first aired last week didn't seem finished. In fact, as she spoke by phone last week from Seattle, the second stop on a tour that brings her to the Galaxy Concert Theatre on Friday, Farris said that she wanted the clip for "I Know" pulled out of MTV's bin so that footage showing a lighter side of her personality could be restored to the final cut. "Some things are missing, some of the craziness I do," said Farris, a poised, affable woman of 26 whose modest goal it is to transform the shape of contemporary R & B music. Farris, whose rich voice was first heard in 1992 adding gospel-soul embroidery to Arrested Development's hit single "Tennessee," aims to restore some of the depth, variety and songwriting artistry that were once hallmarks of R & B. With occasional exceptions such as Prince and Terrence Trent D'Arby, those qualities have been largely missing from the genre since the rise of disco and techno-funk, the death of Marvin Gaye and the end of Stevie Wonder's amazing artistic hot streak of the 1970s. Farris' first solo album, "Wild Seed--Wild Flower," is a strong bid to reassert the greatness oB past while moving forward with a sparkling, contemporary sound. "I Know" is a terrific start. It has the bluesy slide guitar sass of Bonnie Raitt, the kind of rich, inventively arranged construction that Lindsey Buckingham used to bring to some of Fleetwood Mac's R & B-influenced songs, and hip-hop rhythmic currents that kick the song into the pop present. Most artists would be thrilled to get any version of a video into MTV's "Buzz Bin," which means special emphasis, with multiple plays each day. But Farris wasn't about to let herself be presented in a way she thought was incomplete. She wanted the video to reveal some quirks, and not just "all the pretty shots of my face." "I'm not trying to be anal or stubborn, but this is my chance to present who I am," she said. "With the business being so fickle nowadays, I may never get another shot. . . . I don't plan to not be here; one of my goals is to have longevity and be true to myself. I'm a fighter, so I don't give up." (In fact, a few days after the interview, a Columbia Records spokesperson reported that the video had been re-edited to meet Farris' specifications; it remains in "Buzz Bin" rotation on MTV.) Farris' determination to present a well-rounded portrait of herself, rather than a glossy, salable surface, is evident from her album cover. It's a sepia-toned photograph of the singer that depicts her sitting in a weathered-looking rocking chair made of rough-hewn wood. Her posture is bent, her hair is clipped tight to the scalp, and she is wearing jeans, clunky boots and an oversize flannel shirt that engulfs her tiny frame. Farris says the shot, taken on her front porch in Atlanta when she was on the brink of landing her deal with Columbia Records, reminded her of the feelings of anticipation and uncertainty and the mood of deep reflection that came over her as she realized she was about to take a major step in pursuing her life's work. "(The cover) doesn't say, 'This is an R & B kind of record,' or any other kind of record," she said. "It makes you ponder, and wonder what's going on." The music inside demands some pondering from a listener, but it also is rich in the pleasurB--an expansive vision of R & B that also incorporates rock, jazz, blues and folk influences. If Farris' music sounds like a challenge to her genre's drift toward hormonally driven blatancy, swooning, suffocatingly perfumed boudoir music and artless message-mongering, that is precisely how she intends it. Raised in Plainfield, N.J., Farris got a strong musical grounding, singing in funk bands and absorbing the gospel sound in church. At 20, though, she found herself becalmed in post-adolescent uncertainty, which led to friction with her mother over whether Farris should get a job instead of lying around the house. Feeling the need for a change, she moved to Atlanta, where her father lives. There, she established contacts on the city's active rap and R & B scene and made her way as a free-lance vocalist working with several different acts. One of them was Arrested Development, which recruited her as an adjunct member. But just as Arrested Development was becoming a sensation, Farris left, eager to pursue a solo career. Farris found a strong musical ally in guitarist David Harris, of the band Follow for Now. She set to work with Harris and a crew of other writers who provided musical settings for her lyrics. As she contemplated a solo career late in 1992, Farris said, "One of the conscious efforts I made was to sit down and listen to the radio. I knew (what she was hearing on R & B stations) wasn't what I wanted to do. I thought, 'We (black artists) are just saying a lot of jargon; we're not talking about anything, we're in limbo. We need to remember Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On,' to remember Stevie Wonder and his great works.' I wanted to work along those lines, to have some thought processes, some creativity." She followed through with an album of wide-ranging musical references and varied structures. The music and production support a voice that commands many hues and can convey a true-to-life mixture of contradictory feelings. The album came out in November; Farris and her five-member band embarked last week on their first extended tour. After the two-month trek, she should have a better idea whether the mass market will also understand where she's coming from. Farris says she has been encouraged by the recent arrival of such like-minded, multifaceted artists as Me'Shell NdegeOcello, Des'ree and Carleen Anderson, who have emphasized songwriting and sought to escape the slick, cookie-cutter textures, incessantly repeated hooks, unambitious themes and shallow lyrics of formula R & B. Farris says that in visits to some R & B stations, she has encountered predictable resistance. "We went to one station, and the programmer said, 'I love the record, but I can't play it--it's not our format.' She said it had too much guitar in it. I said, 'What about all these people who are re-sampling '70s music with guitar? Ohio Players, Sly & the Family Stone, Isley Brothers.' I said, 'You don't understand, it's not about me; it's about us as a community, and how you're keeping us narrow and pigeonholed. You have the power to expand it.' " "I know it's going to be hard," Farris said. "It's not what the format is. (But) somebody has to say, 'This is ours, and we have to claim it as such.' " * Dionne Farris and Mesh of Mind play Friday at 8 p.m. at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. $13.50. (714) 957-0600. Hear Dionne Farris * To hear a sample of the album "Wild Seed--Wild Flower," call TimesLine at 808-8463 and press *5580.
Farris Paved Way for Alternative Black ArtistBy Jessica Bakeman | January 17, 2009
While Dionne Farris said today’s music doesn’t give anything to anyone, her contemporaries agree that she gave everything to aspiring and future black artists. A working musician who has shrunk away from the public eye since her hot hits of the early ’90s, Farris is now performing out of the oppressive arms of music industry standards. Those who worked with her acknowledge her contribution to the music scene, namely her destruction of the expectations on which genres of music black artists should and could produce. Her genre, she said, is simply music. “I would let that (categorization) to be up to people who need it,” she said in an interview Oct. 26. “But it’s been put in pop, neo-soul, urban alterative.” Guitarist Jermaine Rand, who played shows in Atlanta with Farris in the late ’90s, admired this mixing of genres as her successful effort to pave the way for those who followed. “During the time period there was a very closed-minded perception of what a black artist could do on a record,” Rand said. “The first album she put out had everything from blues music to rock music to soul.” Rand and former touring bassist for Farris, Sean Michael Ray, agree that artists such as Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu got their shot because of Farris’ bold musical exploration. “They would not have had careers if it wasn’t for Dionne Farris,” Rand said. When Farris broke into popular music as a solo artist with the hit single “I Know” off of “Wild Seed Wild Flower,” Rand was intrigued. He said he had never heard anything like it. “Back in the ’90s you had the whole grunge movement, but as far as what the black artists were doing, it was the typically R ‘n’ B and rap music,” he said. Tomi Martin, a guitarist who toured with Farris and wrote her song, “Open,” said she is often misplaced in terms of genre based on the styles of those she influenced. “She opened the door for a lot of African American artists to be different and do something besides R ’n’ B, but it’s unfortunate that she has been put into neo-soul,” he said. “She opened the door for Erykah Badu; she opened the door for India.Arie, but she’s not neo-soul.” Ray described her music as, "very organic, never really that slick, L.A., polished kind of sound, always a really earthy kind of vibe. It's funky at times; it's rock at times; it's almost folk-y at times. It's a little bit of everything." Speaking to her versatility, Martin originally wrote the song “Open” with Madonna in mind, and hadn’t anticipated it would work with Farris’ musical style. But, he was wrong. “She had a certain talent of versatility where she can make things fit,” he said. Durga McBroom, a black singer who toured with Pink Floyd, said Farris’ style creates a perfect combination. “Her mix of soul and rock is exactly the kind of sound I aspire to create. Plus she can blow!” she said. While her touring musicians and fans attribute popular artists’ success to her, Farris doesn’t see herself as any more important than others whose music touched listeners and inspired aspiring musicians. “I think that we’re all links in the chain of this whole musical history,” she said. “Someone influenced me to become an influence.” Her look, Martin said, also influenced other musicians to break from status quo. On the cover of her album “Wild Seed Wild Flower,” the caramel colored artist sports a brush cut, an oversized flannel shirt, leather buckled boots and a melancholy expression. “A lot of people thought she was a boy, sitting on this rocking chair on the cover, but it was just Dionne stripping it down and having you pay attention to her music,” he said. “Her videos were quote unquote white videos, because they had different subject matter; they had different layouts. It wasn’t like it was pretentious, it was just who she was.” Martin said her videos were revolutionary, as well, as most black artists were played exclusively on BET, with some limited play on MTV. But, Farris — she made VH1. Martin said only classic artists made this channel, and her video got substantial airtime. Music journalist Christian John Wikane, who interviewed Farris this year for popmatters.com, said Farris is an artist who sets an example for what most artists aspire to be — “an independent musician who brings together a very strong cross section of music listeners.” He added, “She writes the truth from her experience and isn’t limited by what anyone’s perceptions are of what she should be because she is a black female singer. You’re seeing someone who is living her life’s vocation as an artist.” Farris said expressing truth is her main motivation as a musician. “I personally think that music should give people truth in its purest form — not just my truth, your truth — just truth,” she said. “Music should be a source of healing … beauty, power, strength, joy, funkiness, get-down, having-a-good-time, makin’-you-dance.” Farris has been working consistently as a musician since 1992, and said she was called to this occupation. Her latest record, “Signs of Life,” taps into her spirituality and sense of what music should give others. “I have to have that mustard seed of faith, that little tiny inkling that the universe has got your back,” she said. “I just had a (relentless) faith about putting that record together.” She released “Signs of Life” independently online in 2008 on her own label, Free and Clear Records. The tracks appear on her MySpace page. She has already started recording tracks for her next album, which will also be released on the label. Farris maintains her social networking pages to connect with fans. She added “Savin’ Grace,” a minute-and-a-half demo Martin and Farris did on a whim, to her MySpace page to let her fans know she was working on something new. While the song consists of mainly Martin’s guitar stylings and mumbling on her part, the unfinished track has 10,600 hits. Listeners flock to New York, where she performs monthly at Joe’s Pub. "Her fan base (is) still there," said Ray, who played her show there the last two months. He said when she sings her new music, she can hold the mic out to her fans who know every word. Her fellow musicians advocate strongly for listeners to find Farris again — those who have lost her, that is. “I really would like some people to rediscover Dionne,” Martin said. “I think people kind of put her on the back burner.” Photo: Courtesy of Dionne Farris POSTED BY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS -- AT 5:43 PM |
Pop Album Chart : 'Friday' Soundtrack on the Fast Track
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Top 100 Songs About the South
1. "Strange Fruit" -- Billie Holiday (1939) 2. "Summertime" -- written by George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward (1935) 3. "A Change Is Gonna Come" -- Sam Cooke (1964) 4. "Mississippi Goddam" -- Nina Simone (1964) 5. "We Shall Overcome" -- Originally titled "I Shall Overcome" by Charles A. Tindley (1900); later rewritten by Guy Carawan. 6. "Dixie" -- written by Daniel Decatur Emmett (1859) 7. "Rocky Top" -- The Osborne Brothers (1968) 8. "Rosa Parks" -- OutKast (1998) 9. "Georgia on My Mind" -- Ray Charles (1960) 10."Coat of Many Colors" -- Dolly Parton (1971) 11. "Coal Miner's Daughter" -- Loretta Lynn (1971) 12."The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" -- The Band(1969) 13. "Grandma's Hands" -- Bill Withers (1971) 14."Sweet Home Alabama" -- Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974) 15."Ramblin' Man" -- The Allman Brothers Band (1973) 16."(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" -- Otis Redding(1967) 17. "Midnight Train to Georgia" -- Gladys Knight and the Pips (1973) 18. "Carolina in My Mind" -- James Taylor (1968) 19. "The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)" -- StephenFoster (1851) 20. "Rainy Night in Georgia" -- Brook Benton/Tony Joe White. 21. "Tennessee" -- Arrested Development (1992) 22. "Love Shack" -- The B-52's (1989) 23. "Nutbush City Limits" -- Ike and Tina Turner(1973) 24. "Outfit" -- Drive-By Truckers (2003) 25. "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home?" -- Joe South(1969) 26. "Hey Porter" -- Johnny Cash (1951) 27. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" -- Hank Williams(1949) 28. "Back Water Blues" -- Bessie Smith (1927) 29. "I Can't Stand the Rain" -- Ann Peebles (1971) 30. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" -- The Charlie Daniels Band (1979) 31. "Rednecks" -- Randy Newman (1974) 32. "Get Low" -- Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz featuring the Ying Yang Twins (2002) 33. "Seminole Wind" -- John Anderson (1992) 34."Elevators (Me and You)" -- OutKast (1996) 35. "BlueYodel No. 1" -- Jimmie Rodgers (1927) 36. "My Home Is in the Delta" -- Muddy Waters (1964) 37. "Blue Moon of Kentucky" -- Bill Monroe (1947) 38."Crossroad Blues" -- Robert Johnson (1936) 39. "My Clinch Mountain Home" -- Carter Family (1929) 40. "Love and Happiness" -- Al Green (1972) 41. "Comin' From Where I'm From" -- Anthony Hamilton (2003) 42. "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" -- Bob Dylan (1966) 43. "In the Pines" -- Leadbelly (1944) 44. "Ode to Billie Joe" -- Bobbie Gentry (1967) 45."Southern Hospitality" -- Ludacris (2000) 46. "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" --Vicki Lawrence (1973) 47. "Harper Valley PTA" -- Jeannie C. Riley (1968) 48. "Goin' Down South" -- R.L. Burnside (1968) 49. "Come on in My Kitchen" -- Robert Johnson(1936-37) 50. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" -- Flatt and Scruggs(1949) 51. "Moon River" -- Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini (1961) 52. "Graceland" -- Paul Simon (1986) 53. "Statesboro Blues" -- Blind Willie McTell (1928) 54. "Po Folks" -- Nappy Roots (2002) 55. "Hickory Wind" -- The Byrds/Gram Parsons (1968) 56. "My Window Faces the South" -- Bob Wills (1946) 57. "Alabama" -- Neil Young (1972) 58. "Greenville" -- Lucinda Williams (1998) 59. "Free Bird" -- Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973) 60. "Southern Nights" -- Glen Campbell (1977) 61. "Orange Blossom Special," written by Ervin T.Rouse (1938-1939) 62. "Down in the Boondocks" -- Billy Joe Royal/JoeSouth (1965) 63. "On and On" -- Erykah Badu (1997) 64. "Sweet Southern Comfort" -- Buddy Jewell (2003) 65. "South of Cincinnati" -- Dwight Yoakam (1986) 66."Blue Sky" -- Allman Brothers (1972) 67. "Ugly" -- Bubba Sparxxx (2001) 68. "Welcome to Atlanta" -- Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris (2001) 69. "Oh, Atlanta" -- Alison Krauss (1995) 70. "Deep Down in Florida" -- Muddy Waters (1977) 71. "That's What I Like About the South" -- Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1942) 72. "Dixie Chicken" -- Little Feat (1973) 73."Tennessee Waltz" -- Patti Page (1950) 74. "Southern Accents" -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1985) 75. "Shake Whatcha Mama Gave Ya" -- Poison Clan (1992) 76. "Patches" -- Clarence Carter (1970) 77. "Cell Therapy" -- Goodie Mob (1995) 78. "Betty Lonely" -- Vic Chesnutt (1995) 79. "No Depression" --Uncle Tupelo (1990) 80. "Nann" -- Trick Daddy (1998) 81. "Return of the Grievous Angel" -- Gram Parsons(1973) 82. "Birmingham" -- Randy Newman (1974) 83. "Blackbird"-- Dionne Farris (1994) 84. "Evangeline" -- Emmylou Harris (1981) 85. "High Water (for Charley Patton)" -- Bob Dylan(2001) 86. "Just Kickin' It" -- Xscape (1993) 87. "Georgia Rhythm" -- Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976) 88. "If Heaven Ain't a Lot Like Dixie" -- HankWilliams Jr. (1982) 89. "Wait" -- Ying Yang Twins (2005) 90. "Knoxville Girl" -- The Louvin Brothers (1956) 91. "Red Clay Halo" -- Gillian Welch (2001) 92. "In Da Wind" -- Trick Daddy, Cee-Lo and Big Boi(2002) 93. "Memphis" -- Chuck Berry (1959) 94. "Stars Fell on Alabama" -- written by Mitchell Parish and Frank Perkins 95. "People Everyday" -- Arrested Development (1992) 96. "Can't You See" -- Marshall Tucker Band (1973) 97. "Chattahoochee" -- Alan Jackson (1992) 98. "Git Up, Git Out" -- OutKast with Goodie Mob(1994) 99. "Maps and Legends" -- R.E.M. (1985) 100. "Mistress"-- Caroline Herring (2003) [Edited 9/15/05 10:20am] |