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“My purpose for music is positive social change,” says Orange County, California native Aloe Blacc. “Even if the music itself does not explicitly express anything that may signify positive social change, the product of the music will.” He is speaking in general terms regarding his career, but more specifically about the circumstances surrounding his upcoming album, Good Things, co-written by the versatile vocalist and songwriter in conjunction with the in-house production team at Truth & Soul Records.

Good Things marks a shift in methodology from personal to political for Aloe, who refers to the project as his report on present conditions—joblessness, homeless, the misappropriation of wealth, pillaging of resources, and a universal lack of compassion from the capitalism at-large under which we all function, but some struggle to survive. Song titles such as “You Make Me Smile” and “Miss Fortune,” coupled with airy, ethereal production from Truth & Soul’s Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman mask a foreboding undercurrent in which Aloe crafts lyrics both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Nowhere is this more evident than on lead single, “I Need a Dollar”—commissioned by HBO as the theme music for the series How to Make It in America—because ultimately, that is how to make it in America.

The first-generation American offspring of Panamanian parents, Aloe has become what writer and activist Amiri Baraka (nee Leroi Jones) once said of John Coltrane. He is a singular “scope of feeling…a more fixed traveler” who has found cohesion in art and life. The path from his 2006 debut, the multi-genre Shine Through, to Good Things is akin to the maturation of Marvin Gaye between That’s the Way Love Is and the What’s Going On masterwork that followed. Aloe has never purported to be any heir to Gaye, but musically, Good Things and What’s Going On are companion pieces as both albums establish a character for the artists that sets them apart from the sea of performers making very vivid and discernible—yet normative and conformist—statements about who they are and what they do. Good Things is a definitive declaration that places Aloe directly in the framework of modern soul.

At the heart of this musical character is a recession-age Robin Hood, whose goal is to sell and profit from his wares with hope of freeing the less fortunate from the capitalist system that serves as both their oppressor and his motivation. A 2001 graduate of the University of Southern California, Aloe credits a myriad of influences—transcendentalist scholars Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, French existentialism, Oprah Winfrey, Tavis Smiley, Cornel West—with leading him from the inner streams of consciousness he possessed as an MC early in his career, to a more disciplined approach to songwriting, and now, the desire to affect change and induce compassion by way of his own success. It is his grand scheme, which, not coincidentally, is also the name of his backing band (The Grand Scheme). The key is compromise and understanding the power of popular art. Aloe is willing to put the gloves on and engage in the marketplace. Good things lie ahead.
– Ronnie Reese

Album artwork by Aloe Blacc

Born and raised in the bay area of California, in addition to growing up in a household where interest in the arts was encouraged, L.B. has always had a passion for music. At the age of 7 He was singing in the church choir. When L.B. was 9, after watching his brother and other musicians, He began playing drums at church and by the age of 14 he was teaching and directing his church choir. Because of the talent he was blessed with and the knowledge gained, he went on to lead one of the most acclaimed gospel groups in the bay area. L.B. also has had the fortunate opportunity of studying music under his pastor/mentor, Walter Hawkins and his brother, Edwin Hawkins, best known for writing and producing the groundbreaking gospel hit “Oh Happy Day”. While working with his mentor, he not only directed/taught the choir, he was also sang background for Walter Hawkins, Daryl Coley, Tramaine Hawkins and a host of other gospel greats. Ready for a change in life, L.B. uprooted and moved to Washington, DC to further his education at the world renowned Howard University where he studied film. While studying film, the desire to sing R&B continued to brew and finally, the decision to pursue music full time was birthed. With such a tall frame, standing at a bold 6’4 ½”, it would appear that this is not an artist, however, this is someone who should be playing basketball; but upon listening to the artist smooth yet raw vocals, and tight harmonies, you will quickly realize why L.B. has chosen music over the N.B.A.

Leschea (произносится le-SHAY) (настоящее имя Schea A. Boatwright) - r'n'b-исполнительница, чей карьерный успех приходится на середину 90-х и совпадает с выходом дебютного альбома Rhythm & Beats, который был переиздан iTunes в декабре 2005-го. Она также являлась участницей формирования Masta Ace Incorporated, куда помимо нее входили такие товарищи, как Eyceurokk (Eyce, Uneek и Rokkdiesel), Lord Digga, Paula Perry и непосредственно сам Masta Ace. В 1995-м Leschea в качестве бэк-вокалистки приняла участие в записи альбома Masta Ace "Sittin on Chrome", что обеспечило ей контракт с Warner Bros. records в 1996-м.