Search - Stephanie Mckay :: Stephanie Mckay

Includes a preview of Stephanie McKay's eagerly anticipated

J. Lund | SoCal, USA | 12/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Several years back Stephanie McKay released her debut album McKAY overseas, and that disc raised the bar on her peers by providing a consistently challenging CD of deeply emotive, fresh-sounding nu soul, highlighted by Stephanie's one-of-a-kind voice. As of now McKAY is out-of-print and getting hard-to-find. Between then and now, she has made some notable guest appearances, with the likes of DJ Spinna and The RH Factor.



With this 2006 E.P., Stephanie debuts in the USA as a solo artist. This sampler of new and old cuts appears to serve both as a stateside intro to the artist and as advance warning for an upcoming full-length album due in 2007 (hopefully EARLY 2007 ... I can only hold my breath for so long). There's only two new tunes here ("Tell It Like It Is" and "M.O.N.E.Y"). "Tell It..." is heard in two versions, the second being a club-oriented DJ Spinna remix. I assume "Tell it..." and "M.O.N.E.Y." will be on the forthcoming album, but both are so original and soulful that one may not want to wait that long and opt to buy this affordable preview! In every aspect -- vocals, songs, production -- both tracks are so above and beyond most of her nu soul peers, let alone the cream of the contemporary mainstream crop. The E.P. also lifts two fine tracks from the McKAY album mentioned above ("Rising Tide," "Take Me Over"). Overall, this budget-priced, premium-content E.P. is worth it to anyone who wants to hear a major talent deserving of wider recognition."