Berliner Meister Schallplatten | Jocelyn B. Smith & Band | Honest Song

The diva Jocelyn B. Smith, long celebrated by the FAZ as a "Gesamtkunstwerk" for her outstanding productions in jazz, soul, blues, pop, rock, gospel, funk, crossover and classical music, surprises with another stage in a new genre.

The native New Yorker, born in 1960, moved to Berlin in 1984 and since then it is hard to imagine the local music scene without her. Not only because of her naturally powerful voice and her countless cross-genre productions and collaborations (from productions with Falco to collaborations with composers such as Heiner Goebbels and Mikis Theodorakis), but also because of her social commitment.

This direct-to-disc production was made following her CD production "Here I Am" and includes seven songs, played live in the studio in front of enthusiastic guests and immediately 'scratched' into the groove. Jocelyn B. Smith returns to her beginnings, the piano, with this vinyl album. She brings her sound back to its original form as the basis of her art, then weaves in more layers, drawing from the wellsprings of her musical experiences, bringing both her own compositions and old masters (J.S. Bach, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ludwig v. Beethoven) to life.

In "Honest Song" she lets us look under the veil, the often misunderstood 'diva' veil. She takes us into her moments of angst, hopelessness and self-reflection.

This recording is a direct-to-disc recording from Emil Berliner Studios. Direct-to-disc recordings are the result of intensive preparation and rehearsal time by the artists involved, as well as the sound engineers. The recording is completely analog and is cut directly into a lacquer foil, which is then formed into a pressing matrix in a galvanic process. Each pressed record is therefore an original copy of that recording. 180 gram vinyl in hand-numbered cover.

Side A

1. Honest Song

2. WDOYL (Who Da One You Love)

3. What are we doing here

4. Sometimes

Side B

1. Prelude C sharp minor

2. Moonlight Chanson

3. Live is