Black Is...

Fertile Ground | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• Original Release Date: August 24, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blackout Studios
• ASIN: B0002ZAZGC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,065 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Spirit World

2. Light Shed'n

3. Live in the Light

4. Another Day

5. An Artist Prayer

6. Shout

7. Changing Woman

8. A Blues for me

9. Yellow Daises

10. Black Is

11. Naked

12. You

13. On this day

14. Reprise

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

FERTILE GROUND

Biography

"Most people don't gravitate to things that are different in music,

so it was very touching that so many have been drawn to us.

Some people have said it's food for the soul.

I definitely feel that the energy of the live instruments

and the lyrics have affected their spirit."

-Navasha Daya

Suddenly the sound of crisp horns, a gritty guitar, polyrhythmic percussion, and a soul-stirring keyboard sail out in balance to the tightly knitted community of music enthusiasts and underground connoisseurs that have become Fertile Ground’s audience. Shortly after, the lead vocalist, Navasha Daya appears, reminiscent of some sort of ceremonial queen, and her cosmic stage presence sends the audience cheering and eventually transports them from swaying into all out dancing. Tonight is magical, but it is not out of the ordinary. Fertile Ground has repeated this feat at venues all over the world. This once humble Baltimore-based jazz trio has evolved into a seven piece international powerhouse performing 50-80 shows a year, ranging from sold-out clubs to large stadium festivals. They have hypnotized music lovers at the Jazz Café in London, The Blue Note in Tokyo, B.B. King’s in NYC, The Dusable Museum in Chicago, Pier Six in Baltimore, and Blues Alley in D.C. Each of their shows is an opportunity to not only convert people into Fertile Ground fans, but also to renew a dying faith in the power of live music.

Uplifting lyrics radiate naturally through Navasha Daya as she challenges everything in the room to evolve. A graduate of Cleveland School for the Arts, this effervescent singer was classically trained through Morgan State University’s world-renowned choir and became prominent on the scene in 1999 by winning first place in the National Billie Holliday Vocal Competition. Also a budding songwriter and producer, Navasha and newly-wed husband James provide the perfect backbone to this seasoned army of world-class musicians.

Fertile Ground has shared the stage with such multi-platinum heavyweights as Cassandra Wilson, Hugh Masekela, Me’Shell N’Degeocello, India Arie, Wynton Marsalis, Jill Scott, Chaka Khan, and even Run DMC. The band is often classified as Soul-Jazz, but they spill out of any genre as a cross-cultural fusion of all things spiritual and funk-ridden. In this realm called good music, theatrics never replace integrity, nor does experience and success replace a creatively fresh approach to each project. Messages are heart-felt, conveying an unashamed spirituality, a firm political stance, or whatever the moment requires, and everything is heavily supported by raw, organic, often danceable compositions in the tradition of Fela Kuti, Stevie Wonder, Santana, and Earth Wind & Fire. With the requisite strength, depth and energy to electrify crowds, musicians, DJs, journalists, and promoters not just once or twice, but over and over again, Fertile Ground has been cementing their place as! musical and social innovators.

Product Description

Following their highly acclaimed 'Perception' album, Fertile Ground are back with another classic that will heal your woes, uplift your spirit and have you groovin' to their deeply funky hybrid of jazz-fueled soul. 'This amazing band embodies everything that's great about black music, they mix jazz, hip-hop, soul Caribbean' - Mr. Scruff. Counterpoint. 2004. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars big props for being original AND good..., July 25, 2005

By 

R. Davis "upfromsumdirt" (louisville, ky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Is... (Audio CD)

i love these folks.
pointblank.

no sexually suggestive lyrics over-scored by gratuitous production work...

no pre-teen/pop-minded/filthy-fleen-flarth... (sorry... channelin a lil bill cosby. my bad/wont happen again, i swair!)

but this is just a good, grownfolk's album...

equal parts billy holiday, earthwind&fire and curtis mayfield...

if you're here, readin this, then you already know or have already heard a little bit about them... dont be scurred now...

commit yourself...

...fulfill your 'rite of passage' into adulthood.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely peerless, June 2, 2005

By 

MarvelousMarla "MarvyM" (Way down in Dixie) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Black Is... (Audio CD)

I bought this CD after having seen Fertile Ground perform live in April. All I can say is Wow! Their music is spiritual, yet fun and lively -- they had people dancing in the crowded aisles of the theater. This is real music folks.

Fertile Ground's style encompasses jazz, reggae, samba with a little hip hop for good measure. And what can I say about Navasha Daya's voice? This vocalist sounds a lot like Phyllis Hyman to me, but far from being a soundalike, Daya is definitely a unique talent. She is a commanding presence not just because of her powerful set of pipes, but she has a way of engaging the audience that makes you want to watch this group all night. And the band does not play second fiddle to her voice because they can all hold their own. That is the hallmark of a good group -- when the musicians get to shine as much as the vocalist. As good their live show is, the CD is even better because you get to hit repeat as often as you like.

"Black Is" features 10 tracks along with some interludes and an instrumental. The title song is a love song to Black people that speaks to inner beauty and strength and exhorts the listener to remain steadfast. "Changing Woman" is a song that upholds the woman's various roles in life and is billed as a tribute to a native spirit. This is a balanced CD with some uptempo music that will make you groove, as well as some slower thought-provoking tracks.

This is definitely music for those of us with more on our minds than the latest dance step and material goods. I recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatness on wax..., April 11, 2005

By 

E. Williams "projectVIBE" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Is... (Audio CD)

Eversince I heard "Broken Branches" I've been a fan, adding all things "Fertile Ground" to my CD collection every step of the way. Although every CD they've released is remarkable in their own right, they seem to push the envelope that much more with every release. "Black Is..." is no exception. You couldn't have asked for a better opening track than "Spirit World", and the whimsical journey from front to end is nonstop.

We have Fertile Ground in heavy rotation on projectVIBE Internet Radio. Check it out, http://www.projectvibe.net and get your hands on that album!