Zepherin Saint feat. Ann Nesby & 3G : Optimistic

Best Of The Month : Release Date 05th October 2015

Zepherin Saint feat. Ann Nesby & 3G : Optimistic

2015 – Tribe Records

Record-Label Info

Pioneers of the contemporary world dance movement, Tribe Records, get set to celebrate their 100th release with a gigantic reinterpretation of one of dance music’s all time classics ‘Optimistic’. Originally recorded by Soulful greats The Sounds Of Blackness in 1991, label boss Zepherin Saint joins forces with THE legendary voice of SOB’s, Ann Nesby and 3G, who together deliver a stunning new version fresh for 2015!

« Optimistic is one of my all time faves. It helped me through a difficult time in my own life, as I am sure it has for many when it was originally released. It’s always been on my mind to make a house cover as I would sometimes play the original in my DJ sets to close the night, but I did not feel I was ready until now. The words and sentiment of the song create a lot of emotion on the dance floor, so when thinking of how we were going to commemorate Tribe’s 100th release, this just made perfect sense on many levels. » – Zepherin Saint

Without needing too much of an introduction the vocal force that is Ann Nesby is one of the most distinctively powerful voices that Gospel music has boasted. Her time as lead singer with the legendary Sounds Of Blackness, turning out hits such as ‘The Pressure’ and ‘Optimistic’ lead on to working superstars such as Sting and Luther Vandross, among many, later working with contemporary dance music DJs on chart toppers including Mousse T, DJ Mijangos and Steve “Silk” Hurley to name a few. With a career total of two Grammy wins with the Sounds of Blackness, Nesby has also amassed an impressive six Grammy nominations as a solo artist since her 1996 solo debut album ‘In The Spirit’.

« I had set out to record the song not really knowing who would be the lead singer. One of the best cities in the world to find a choir is Atlanta, Georgia and I had my musical director Yoel put together the choir and it just so happens that one of the members was an original member of Sounds Of Blackness who happened to love my version so much they got on the phone with the Manager of Ann Nesby. The next day we spoke and the rest is history as they say. » – Zepherin Saint

UK producer / DJ Zepherin Saint has toured extensively, discovering an infinite appreciation of his music and the genre in general, in the most unexpected of places; Beirut, Syria, Egypt. Feeding into an obsessive love of Soul music, Saint has devoted himself to discovering and nurturing new strains from around the globe. Producing a unique blend of afro house, referencing primary roots into a myriad of hypnotic layers, the sound is deep and intoxicating. Since it’s inception by Saint in 2008 Tribe’s motto of « One Sound, One People » has captured their very essence, breathing new life into dance music with their worldly approach to their sound. With releases stretching as far as from South Africa to North America and back to Europe, Tribe’s catalogue includes Soulful musical heavyweights such as Manoo, Bucie, Zepherin Saint, Nathan Adams, Mr V, Souldynamic, Timmy Regisford, Liquideep, Peven Everett, through to emerging artists such as Sai & Ribatone, Adeola Ranson, Black Motion and Miranda Nicole, among many. With residences based in Japan, Dubai, Australia and London amongst featured performances around the world, Tribe have managed to build a loyal following of people around the world with music and art lovers.

« It has not been smooth sailing so I feel truly blessed that we have survived through a difficult period in the music industry with consistency and focus over the past 6 years. To get through the difficult periods we have found that you have to be consistent and OPTIMISTIC.  » – Zepherin Saint

Manutek’s Review

Tous les fans de Gospel House se souviennent bien sûr du groupe Sounds Of Blackness, qui fit une percée remarqué dans les charts au début des années 90 avec des titres comme The Pressure, Testify, I’m Going All The Way, Joy ou encore le célèbre Optimistic.

Leur succès international est en grande partie dû au duo de producteurs Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis qui les signa sur Perspective Records en 1991 avec l’album The Evolution Of Gospel.

La filiale d’A&M s’alloua également les services des meilleurs remixeurs du moment pour réaliser des versions clubs dont certaines tournent encore sur nos platines, 25 ans plus tard.
Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, CJ Mackintosh, E. Smoove, Blaze, Sasha… furent parmi ceux-là.

Si Optimistic avait bien bénéficié à l’époque de versions 12″, il s’agissait en fait de versions R&B ou downtempo réalisées par Jam & Lewis, plutôt que de versions Garage.

Zepherin Saint avait depuis longtemps l’idée de reprendre ce titre, dans une version Soulful, comme l’avait fait avec brio Bobby D’Ambrosio avec Kelli Sae en 2003.

Alors qu’il cherchait encore l’interprète de sa reprise, le directeur musical de Zepherin était en repérage à Atlanta pour recruter un chœur et le hasard fit qu’il tomba sur l’un des membres des Sounds Of Blackness. Emballé par la nouvelle instrumentation créée par Saint, ce dernier en parla au manager d’ Ann Nesby (une des ex-chanteuses solo du groupe Sounds Of Blackness) et l’histoire voulu donc, qu’Ann réinterpréta ce titre légendaire 25 ans plus tard.

C’est sur son propre label Tribe Records et pour fêter sa 100ème release que Zepherin Saint sortira prochainement 3 versions d’Optimistic.

Le Main Vocal:star:, évidemment incontournable, un Instrumental:star: qui vous permettra d’apprécier le travail de réorchestration et un edit pour les radios.

Superbe version, rien à redire… du grand art !
10/10.

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