The state that produced the likes of Missy Elliot and Timberland has given us a new talent to take fold. That talent being 24-year-old Richmond, Virginia native Jarrard Anthony.

At an early age, Jarrard had a dream - to be a singer. His start into making his dream a reality began as a youngster when at the age of 10 he wrote songs to music of video games. That same year, at Christmas, his mother bought him his first keyboard and here is where he began plucking out tunes of his own. In High School he joined a group of school friends to form the R&B quartet called 'Personal Preference' and made a name for themselves by appearing on numerous local news programs and talent showcases, including a win at the world famous Apollo Theater Amateur Night in Harlem, NY. Then at 19, Jarrard released his first independent single, called So-D-vine' which went on to be the second most requested song in the Central Virginia area. With this exposure under his belt, Jarrard took time to record a debut LP entitled 'The Dream' for the indie label, Thermite Records which never fared well due to limited marketing resources but did quite the opposite when it was released in the UK, as an EP and gained critical acclaim with the title track scoring a No. 2 position on the charts.

After seeing the success of the EP, Jarrard now tackles his first full length album and inquired a production team that included Nate Smith (Michael Jackson, Monifah) and Bob Baldwin and 'Don't Sleep... Just Dream' was born.

Jarrard debut album shows plenty of merit, filled with songs about love, pain and relationships, a steller debut from the singer/songwriter. The debut single 'Sweet Memories' is a charming ballad telling the story about love lost, instrumentation and production is of the highest quality - nice track indeed. 'Candy' finds Jarrard sounding a lot like Chico Debarge in many respects with the hint of the organ shining throughout. 'What's Going Down' is a smooth mid-tempo groove to it, balanced well with a strong base line and soft keys. His first single 'So-D-vine' can be found here as well as notables 'True Love', 'Can't believe (You Cheated)' and 'Don't ever' but my pick of the lot is 'The Dream' an absolutely stunning 2-step mid-tempo number that just stands out all on it's own to me, in a word - superb.

"Everything up until now was the preparation, Now is time to start the journey" said Jarrard, "I write about the things I see in life, as long as I live a life I'll have a song."

'Don't Sleep...Just Dream' shows that Jerrard is very committed to his craft and I'm sure you will see that once you've listen to the full set. You can purchase the album on his website www.jerrardanthony.com. A steller debut and one to look out for. A TY-D Pick indeed. 

Listen to Jarrard Anthony's 'Candy'

Listen to Jarrard Anthony's 'The Dream'

Sir TY

 

 

 

While the R&B/Soul arena is filled with groups, not many of them are full fledged live musicians like Mothers Favorite Child, a band that's destined for big things. The band who hails from Boston MA, consists of lead vocalist Lydia Harrell (who hails from Battle Creek, Michigan), Thillét (Tee-yay) Anthony Steele (drums), Leon Silva (alto sax), Tomo Fujita (guitar), Greg Luttrell (guitar), Mark Kelley (bass), Yahuba Garcia (Percussion) and the mastermind behind the group writer/producer Paris Toon.

There is no question that this band is talented, their music speaks for itself. They have a sound that's instinctive comparison in many respects from the likes of Jill Scott to Sly and the Family Stone which brings me to the track on display today. 'Will the smoke clear?' is an acoustic gem, layered with soothing guitar strings and Lydia's voice harmonizing to the fullest effect, very plain but crisp in many parts and very polished - very nicely done.

Mothers Favorite Child has accomplished a lot in their short history too. They've already had 12 number one tracks on MP3.com's various charts as well as other internet charts and have downloads and plays totaling over 100,000 hits. They are #1 in CD sales on mp3.com for Urban R&B artist and what really makes them shine is their live shows much in reminisce of bands like Maze who are known for their electrifying performances

Although they are not signed to a labels, they ought to be as they have what it takes to make it big time. So I suggest you give them a listen to as you will not be sorry afterwards I can tell you. A TY-D Pick indeed. 

Listen to Mother's Favorite Child's 'Will the Smoke Clear?'

Sir TY