*“It hit me upside the head. It captivated my attention,” said Soul/Jazz violinist Brooke Alford about her instrument of choice. “I started on the piano, then I got interested in strings. I like the sound. I told my parents I wanted a standup bass. They said that’s a big instrument, how you going to take it to school.”
Brooke said they asked a good question and reminded her that they wouldn’t be the ones taking it to school for her, so she decided on the strings of a violin. She even made her own violin as a child. Recently Brooke Alford released her second album titled “Heaven on Earth” (Alford Enterprises and Entertainment Group) which offers eight tracks plus a bonus track.
“The last 3 ½ years have been challenging,” Alford said about the meaning of the title of the new project. “It opened my mind and heart to the fact that He (her father who recently passed) will always be a part of me….and to go all the way creating that heaven from the inside so it can be shown on the outside.”
Brooke said her parents were educators, but it was her father that encouraged her the most, so much so she feels his guidance as she dwells into the Jazz/Soul industry as a violinist. She debuted in 2007 with “Expressions” and followed that with the release of her “The Viosocalist” EP in 2012. Based in Atlanta she released a single in 2018 produced by Bob Baldwin. She released the first single from the “Heaven on Earth” album titled “Shine” with George Freeman, and the second single is “New Day” featuring George Freeman.
The “Heaven on Earth” project features production, writing, and arrangements from Bob Baldwin, Kelly Andre, Justin C. Gilbert, Anthony Parrish, and George Freeman. It is executive produced by Brooke Alford. Mastered by Steve Hall and mixed by Dave Farmer, George Freeman, Danny Laporte and Bob Baldwin. Featured musicians include Freeman on keyboards; Sean Michael Ray on bass guitar; Kevin Crockett on lead guitar; Anthony Roberts on drums; Cliff Keys on bass guitar; AJ Williams on lead guitar; Nahshon Seville on drums; Reggie Hines on sax; Reggie Hines on keyboard, and synth bass and Williams J. Hazel on keyboards and synth bass. Kelley Andre assists with lead vocals, and Mike Davis, James K. Hayes II (DJ JSmoove), and Brooke Alford on background vocals. Mully Man is Emcee on one track.
The “Heaven on Earth” album is sweetly sexy. My favorite cuts on the project include #1 the title track because its traditional Jazz flavor is sweet, and the keyboard popping with the violin crying and skipping right into heaven; #2 “New Day” featuring George Freeman on keyboards because it too is heavenly sweet with a jazzy flavor as the keys and violin dance together; #5 “Feeling Love” with vocals from Kelly Andre because I love the way he sings and she replies on the violin, its almost as if they are talking; #6 “Wanting More” because I love the sound of the rain and how the violin comes off a bit Country then it smoothly moves into an operatic sound; #7 “Cascade to the Congo” because I love the repeated echo; #8 a cover of Michael Jackson’s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” because I love the rhythm and how you can almost hear the violin singing the lyrics, and #9 “Closer” featuring Bob Baldwin because the vibe is like fresh air.
“Love is a natural element,” she explains to me as we end the interview. www.BrookAlfordViolin.com
SYNDICATED COLUMN: Dr. Eunice Moseley has an estimated weekly readership of over one million with The Pulse of Entertainment. She is also a Public Relations and Business Management Strategist and Consultant at Freelance Associates and is Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com EVENTS: “Uplifting Minds II” Entertainment Conference (ULMII), founded by Eunice in 1999, is into its 24th year. Next events are coming to Baltimore via Zoom Saturday April 15, 2023, and to Los Angeles via Zoom Saturday, November 11, 2023. The ULMII event is a free entertainment conference offering a Professional Industry Panel Q&A Session, a Professional Talent Showcase and National Talent Competition (vocal, songwriting, dance and acting) where aspiring artists have a chance to receive over $18,000 valued in cash, product and services. Log onto www.UpliftingMinds2.com, a 501 c3 organization, for more information or to RSVP for Zoom Access email [email protected].
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