Sharief in Burgundy

about

Sharief is a 21st century soul man par excellence. For this reason, one shouldn't confuse his art and craft with anything called "neo-soul" or any other trendy label. As Sharief himself has inquired, "Why does it have to be 'neo'? Why can't it just be Soul?" Sharief is a man that knows of what he speaks. You can tell where he's coming from in a heartbeat anytime you catch him in support mode on gigs for artists as diverse as Chocolate Genius and Vivian Gree, holding it down with his guitar slinging, bass thumping, vocalizing and harmonizing. What you may not have heard is the sound of his own soul singing, his straight out from the core material. Sure, all the classic influences are in play-Curtis, Jimi, Sly, The Brothers Johnson, and Prince - but there's also wit and a charm and sensuous edge that are uniquely Sharief's. You can also hear a lack of fear. He takes his time, building things slowly from the ground up, delivering on soul's major themes - love and heartbreak, sadness and sexual healing. What you hear in Sharief's sound is emotion taking precedence over fashion and solid groove given more significance than overly clever fussiness. Soul is also a music that demands innovation, invention, and melodic surprise. Sharief is a young artist who, like his forbearers, knows how to craft a song that can stand on its two feet and not overshadow the deep feeling of the music. Sharief's solo work has been a long time in coming. Call it a necessary extension of the house of

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