The sultry life affirming sunshine of "B.R.B." (Be Right Back) by Butterfly Black, the progressive duo of singer, songwriter, Broadway star Syndee Winters and GRAMMY® winning bassist, composer Ben Williams is an urgent rock/funk/alt dance pop/R&B/ jazz pop fusion that defies convention. The song feels at once nostalgic conjuring the free form soul pop / funk rock imaginings of Prince or Earth, Wind and Fire or duos like Ashford & Simpson, or an amalgam of similar such artists, while feeling fresh and forward, producing an all inclusive potent sound that speaks to a new future.
Williams describes "B.R.B." as a song that celebrates creating a safe and comfortable space within a relationship. "This song talks about life within a long relationship,” he says, “with moments for reintroduction, learning, and loving one's partner for who they are, and creating a wild, silly, and soft space to land after facing a challenging world." Winters adds, "The goal is to look forward to returning to a comfortable and safe love."
Currently based in Los Angeles, Butterfly Black has been performing killer shows in L.A., Las Vegas, Philadelphia and New York assembling top notch musician / collaborators while announcing their highly anticipated, self-titled debut EP scheduled to drop on August 25th. The duo will also host a special release party at Hotel Café in Los Angeles on that drop date, Friday, August 25th.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/651sRFU6tpY33fXFD50uYX
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK-8rSUWBH_21zfNRK0goOw
https://butterflyblack.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/butterflyblackmusic
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/butterfly-black/1609679782
For many artists, the last two years during the pandemic has been transformative. Some have had to reinvent themselves to continue creating and engaging with their audiences in new virtual and/or social-distancing environments. Others had to reassess what was important to them in terms of creativity and the practicalities of sustaining a livelihood. Whatever the situation may be, it’s no surprise that as the world moves from pandemic to epidemic regarding the coronavirus, many artists will be re-emerge on stages with new personas.
Such is the case for bassist, singer and composer Ben Williams and singer, songwriter and Broadway Star Syndee Winters, who have joined forced to create Butterfly Black, an exciting new duo that delivers bubbly, boogie-centric, and upscale R&B. Butterfly Black draws upon the legacy of iconic male-female soul duos, such as Ike & Tina Turner, Ashford & Simpson, René & Angela, Peaches & Herb, and Yarborough & Peoples.
“I don’t see a lot of those duos existing nowadays,” Williams says. “Having a true duo group, I think will be something special to present to people now.” This year, Butterfly Black released its first infectious single, “I Just Want To Love You” a summery mid-tempo jam that recalls Leon Sylvers’ legendary production and songwriting work at SOLAR Records in the early-’80s. Later this year, Butterfly Black releases its five-song debut EP.
Butterfly Black’s strength lies not only in the couple’s intoxicating musical chemistry that is evident both in the studio and onstage; it comes from their divergent individual artistic pasts. Williams is among the upper echelon of his contemporaries in the jazz scene. After winning the 2009 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition, he has released a handful of critical-acclaimed solo albums and recorded and/or performed with numerous heavyweights such as Pat Metheny, Robert Glasper, George Benson, Jazzmeia Horn, Carmen Lundy, and Regina Carter, among others. Winters is a commanding Broadway stage singer, dancer and actor, who has performed in such defining productions as Hamilton, The Lion King, Pippin, Motown The Musical, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Before working on Broadway, she was a dancer for the New York Knicks basketball team and a hip-hop and soul singer, who worked with Grandmaster Flash on his 2009 album, The Bridge.
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