By TUREKA TURK
IIlchlq n CltlDn
I t was her first single, "Get
Here", that had music lovers
dashing to record stores ask­
ing, "Who is that who sings
that song?". It was that sin­
gle that brought tears to the
eyes of those who had unoffi­
cially proclaimed the single
as the anthem for those in the
Persian Gulf.
Oleta Adams' power­
packed voice belted out a
soulful operatic vibe through
the summer, cruising radio
Smith and Roland Orzabal.
She has evolved into an influ­
ential crusader for bringing
back emotion and feeling into
R&B, continuing the legacy
of Roberta Flack and Danny
Hathaway.
'1 IDENTIFY WITH sing­
ers like (them)," she says.
'You can hear the purity of
sound and emotion, but also
the discipline, technique and
sophistication. That's what
my music is all about: Get­
ting bac to the part that's
She has evolved into an
influential crusader for
bringing back emotion and
feeling into R&B, continuing
the legacy of Roberta Flack
and anny 'athaway,
stations. "Get Here" was a
child of Diana Ross and The
Supreme's "Ain't No Moun­
tain High Enough" and it is
true to it's parentage.
And now Oleta has
evolved. But not into a "diva".
"I'm too down to earth for
that," she says. Oleta's evo­
lution is an intimate one, it
changes from one love situ­
ation to another. But she has
defi natelymatured since
"Get Here" by exploring those
. situations with emotional
gust.
Oleta has come a long way
from performing in clubs and
hotels, where she was discov­
ered by Tears For Fears' Curt
First minority
-motion picture
awards slated
B LYHIL, -Fri-
.' day, Sept. 10, Tri-Erite Enter­
tanment Ltd. pres nts th first
Mlno nty Motion Picture
Awards to be held at th Scot­
ti h PIt Auditorium, located at
4 57Wil hirc Btvd.in Lo An­
gel .
Thi tar- tudded vent,
ho ted by Diahann Carroll and
Lou Go ert Jr., will brin to­
gether orne 0 th m t influ­
ential ntertam rs honoring
orne of t ay' m t inspiring
people in th moti n pi ture in­
d try.
Honore for the evening
includ : H He Berry - The
va Award; W ley Snipes
- The Inn vator Award;
C h Marin - Th Ermn nt
Award
in . Na Head" (D
been left out since this 'syn­
thetic, sterile, non-feeling
sound has come in .. "
Oleta evolution includes
her passionate plea for the
removal of categories and
embracing emotion, ro­
mance.
"This is highly emotional
music, and there's nothing
wrong with that," she says.
Oleta's new release, "Evo­
lution", is highly romantic.
She proves that romantic mu­
sic doesn't have to have high
notes, shrill sopranos and
notes that last for 30 years as
key elements. .
Big beautiful, breezy notes
that fly through your senses
and reI your mind is the
main . mph of "Evolu­
tion".
o LETA' VOICE I A
compliment to her sensitive
balla s, which feature the
cantril:)' f David San­
born, Micheal Landau, and
Freddy Washington to name
a few.
From Allen Rich and Jud
Friedman, the makers of
"Run To You", the Oscar­
nominated track from the
movie ''Bodyguard" and sung
bravely by Whitney Houston,
comes "] Just Had To Hear
Your Voice", a very intimate
and distinctivly Oleta ballad ..
On the few up-tempo
tracks on the "Evolution" re­
lease, Oleta manages to
skate by. Her real power lays .
in the region of emotionally
in tim ate ballads.
"I hung in there and made
some sacrifices. I never got
marri n h child n be­
ca I kn this . hat I
anted to do," h ys mat-
ter-of-factly, "I'm very proud
that I've made a living in the
music industry without hav­
ing to ever take a 9-to-5 job.
You have to keep on an even
keel, which is why I still live
in Kansas City."
Not beingone to zestfully
go for the fame and other
perks that go along with mu­
sical success, Oleta concen­
trates on the bare essence of
good music.
"If it's a good song with a
good vocal, just put it out,"
she says. "People will find it."
People will also find that
the evolving Oleta will al­
ways stay true to emotional
intimacy of slow ballads.
OL
D
••••
By TUREKA TURK
Mlchlg.n Cltlz.n
about system entrapment,
will debut August 21. See the
Michigan Citizen August 1-7,
1993 for review.
Rap artist Heavy D
maybe venturing into the sit-
com busin . The He vater
recently met David Bur e,
producer of the evaporated
''TriBeCa'' eri . Word is
Burk was thoroughly im­
pr wi th the Ov rweight
Lover and said that he would
definitely want to wor ith
him in the future.
And, for all of you on the
fan club tip, the Heavster
now has his very own fan
clu . Dishing the usual good­
i of f n clu , Heavy's Club
is hiny brand new. For more
info, write to: .
Th Heavy D Fan Club
P.O. Box 1009
Pelham, 10 03