“Instead of just lashing out, I wanted to turn the mirror on us and show the world the complexity of our humanity as Black American men. I wanted to discuss how we process our daily lives – mentally and spiritually.” - Ben Williams

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, acclaimed Grammy-winning bassist, composer and bandleader Ben Williams today shared his powerful rendition of the civil rights classic "We Shall Overcome" via Billboard. With Frank Ocean-esque R&B production and a world class band, the track is a unifying call of the moment that grounds us in history, present, and a continuously hopeful future. It follows first soulful single “If You Hear Me” from his upcoming album I AM A MAN, out February 7, 2020 on Rainbow Blonde Records. The title is a reference to picket signs held during Memphis’ historic 1968 African American sanitation workers’ strike and is Williams’ most poignant, sociopolitical statement yet. 

Listen / Share: “We Shall Overcome”

 José James shares a playful new single today, “You Know What It Do.” His homage to Prince and the Minneapolis Funk sound he grew up with in the 80s, the track is from his newly announced future soul album, No Beginning No End 2. Coming out March 6 on his own label Rainbow Blonde Records, the record also features the talents of Aloe Blacc (from previous single “Turn Me Up”), Ledisi & Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (from first single “I Need Your Love”), Laura Mvula, Lizz Wright, Erik Truffaz, Hindi Zahra, Taali and more. '

Listen / Share: “You Know What It Do”

With a beguiling mix of jazz, R&B, pop and soul, singer-songwriter and producer José James today shares new single “Turn Me Up” (ft. Aloe Blacc) from his newly announced future soul album, No Beginning No End 2. James elaborated more on the project via Billboard here. Coming out March 6 on his own label Rainbow Blonde Records, the album also features the talents of Ledisi & Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah (from first single “I Need Your Love”), Laura Mvula, Lizz Wright, Erik Truffaz, Hindi Zahra, Taali and more. Honoring José James' Minneapolis roots, "Turn Me Up" brings a sunny dance number to the December chill, the result of a session with Grammy winners Pino Palladino & Ben Williams, plus Emmy winner Kris Bowers and Blood Orange drummer Jamire Williams.

Listen / Share: “Turn Me Up” (ft. Aloe Blacc)

Back with his beguiling mix of jazz, R&B, pop and soul, singer-songwriter and producer José James today announces a brand new future soul album, No Beginning No End 2. Coming out March 6 on his own label Rainbow Blonde Records, he’s just shared smooth first single “I Need Your Love,” featuring GRAMMY nominees Ledisi & Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah. Also featuring Laura Mvula, Aloe Blacc, Lizz Wright, Erik Truffaz, Hindi Zahra, Taali and more, this new album is a sequel to James’ revered No Beginning No End. He’ll be celebrating the release with a freshly announced international tour, including stops in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC and his hometown of Minneapolis, MN.

Listen / Share: “I Need Your Love” 

(ft. Ledisi and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah)

José James spent a decade reshaping jazz with the genre-blurring verve of a crate-digging beat guru, before becoming a solo R&B star. The last couple years he lived in Bill Withers' shoes — recording and touring his legendary songbook for the Lean On Me project. Now, the satin-voiced songwriter's latest is No Beginning No End 2, a sequel to his 2013 album that resurrects the bold eclecticism audiences first fell in love with. After the Bill Withers tour, James recalls: “I wrote a thing on Instagram saying I was thinking about No Beginning No End 2 and people went insane. They wrote thousands of comments about how the first one changed their life. I don't sit around and think 'my work is so important' so that was kinda nice."

Things are a little different this time around. For one, while the prequel was James' Blue Note debut, this is his first set of new music for his own label/collective Rainbow Blonde Records. Secondly, the album is full of collaborators who are auteurs in their own right: Laura Mvula, Aloe Blacc, Ledisi, Lizz Wright, Erik Truffaz, and Hindi Zahra, to name a few. Thirdly, with the backing of a wildly talented band held down by rhythm sections in Los Angeles and Brooklyn (befitting Rainbow Blonde's bicoastal status), the songs are warmer and more defined than ever.

For James, all of these pieces are related, and speak to a constellation of small but vibrant artist communities in constant communication. "We're trying to connect the dots on a global level and that's sort of the whole concept: no beginning, no end, no boundaries," he said. This extends to his partner in business, songwriting and life, Rainbow Blonde co-founder/artist Taali. James explains: "With Taali, I feel really seen for the first time and that's powerful. I think that's what we're all striving for on an individual and cultural level.”

James goes on to say, "I read an interview with Billie Eilish where she was talking about, 'I can't believe people used to think genres existed,'" he laughs. "It's like, oh man, that's just so nice. It was such a struggle for my generation, and others before, to kick these doors down of this genre and that, and it's so beautiful to know there are kids who can't even think that way."

Naturally, NBNE2's players are of a similar philosophical mindset, including: Brett Williams, Kris Bowers, and Takeshi Ohbayashi on keys; Marcus Machado, Alan Hampton, and LP co-producer Brian Bender on guitar; Ben Williams on bass; and Justin Brown and Jamire Williams on drums. James also enlisted Alberto Lopez (of Quetzal) for the sort of Afro-Latin percussion common to so much black music of that era, from Marvin Gaye to Gloria Gaynor — which befits James' own Angolan-Panamanian roots.

Tracklisting

1. I Need Your Love (feat. Ledisi and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah)
2. You Know What it Do 
3. Feels So Good (feat. Cecily)
4. Turn Me Up (feat. Aloe Blacc)
5. Just The Way You Are
6. Baby Don’t Cry (feat. J. Hoard)
7. Nobody Knows My Name (feat. Laura Mvula and Kris Bowers)
8. Take Me Home (feat. Lizz Wright)
9. I Found a Love (feat. Taali)
10. Saint James
11. Miss Me When I’m Gone (feat. Marcus Machado)
12. Oracle (高尾山) (feat. Hindi Zahra and Erik Truffaz)

2020 Tour Dates

2/12: Tokyo, JP @ Billboard Live 
2/14: Osaka, JP @ Billboard Live 
3/21: Denver, CO @ Dazzle Jazz 
3/22: Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room 
3/25: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 
3/27: Washington, DC @ The Hamilton Live
5/7: Evanston, IL @ SPACE 
5/8-9: Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota

Acclaimed Grammy-winning bassist, composer and bandleader Ben Williams today shared a soulful new single, “If You Hear Me” from his freshly announced album I AM A MAN, out February 7, 2020 on Rainbow Blonde Records, a record label co-owned by singer, songwriter and kindred spirit José James. The album’s title is a reference to Memphis’ historic 1968 African American sanitation workers’ strike and is Williams’ most poignant, sociopolitical statement yet. He begins a European tour next week, that includes stops in the UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and more.

Listen / Share: “If You Hear Me”

Hailing from Washington, D.C., Williams graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Michigan State University and The Juilliard School, winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2009 and a Grammy Award in 2013 for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, as a member of guitarist Pat Metheny's Unity Band. He has also performed with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, Maxwell, Robert Glasper, Pharrell and beyond, making his film debut with Don Cheadle in the Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead, as well. 

Williams revealed his talents as a keen composer and bandleader on his first two Concord Records albums, State of Art (2011) and Coming of Age (2015). With the help from sound engineer Brian Bender, his new album I AM A MAN boasts a humid and hazy sound that recalls Soulaquarian albums released by The Roots, Erykah Badu, Bilal, D’Angelo, Common, and Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor. Williams said he “wanted this record to deal with the past, present, and future.” From hip hop grooves and cinematic synths to afrobeat-tinged R&B and haunting soul, he does just that.

I AM A MAN’s title references Memphis’ historic 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, during which African American men marched through the streets with picket signs that read, “I Am A Man” in arresting, boldface type. “The image of this long line of men, holding the picket signs, all saying the same thing – there’s something powerful about seeing this message over and over again,” Williams explains, before saying that the messaging reminded him of how we use hashtags today to help ignite activism such as Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements.

In addition to playing electric and acoustic bass, Williams sings lead on almost all the songs. Joining him is a stellar lineup, comprised of keyboardist Kris Bowers, guitarist David Rosenthal, tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland, percussionist Bendji Allonce, trumpeter Kenyon Harrold, flutist Anne Drummond, and drummer Jamire Williams and Justin Brown. On some cuts, Williams complements the music with a string quartet, consisting of cellist Justina Sullivan, violist Celia Hatton, and violinists Maria Im and Chiara Fasi. Sharing vocal duties are the splendid special guests – Kendra Foster, Muhsinah, Wes Felton, and Niles.

I AM A MAN Track Listing

1. Intro: “I Am A Man”

2. If You Hear Me

3. March On (feat. Wes Felton) 

4. Promised Land (feat. Kendra Foster)

5. High Road (feat. Muhsinah)

6. Take It From Me (feat. Niles)

7. Come Home (feat. Kendra Foster)

8. The Death of Emmett Till

9. High Road pt. 2

10. We Shall Overcome

European Tour

11/19: Bratislava, Slovakia @ Zilina

11/20: Bratislava, Slovakia @ Istropolis

11/21: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Bimhuis

11/22: Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Lanteren Venster

11/23: London, UK @ Ronnie Scott’s

11/24: Muri, Switzerland @ Musig im pflegidach

11/25: Ascona, Switzerland @ Jazz Cat Club

11/26: Milan, Italy @ Blue Note Milano

11/28: Stuttgart, Germany @ BIX Jazz Club

11/29: Munchen, Germany @ Unterfahrt Jazz Club

11/30: Tubingen, Germany @ Sudhaus

12/2: Budapest, Hungary @MOMkuit

12/3: Vienne, Austria @ Porgy & Bess

After a transcendent Ep release show at the acclaimed Joe’s Pub, Taali releases her acoustic EP, “Were Most Of Your Stars Out?” An intimate collection of 7 songs, the EP is a brilliant chance to hear Taali in her native element: as a songwriter. She continues with dates on the west coast in Denver and Los Angeles.

11.9 - Denver
11.10 - Los Angeles

Listen everywhere here

Chamber-pop singer/songwriter Taali has released her newest single “Wayward Star”. The delicate Fender Rhodes-led tune is a placid refrain about what it’s like to be truly yourself with someone, and let down your guard, “specifically, to be with someone who had been through as much as me was a new challenge, and also a new beauty,” Taali says behind the inspiration. Her Were Most Of Your Stars Out? EP is due out this Friday on Rainbow Blonde Records.

Stream / Share “Wayward Star”

In celebration of release day on Friday, November 8, Taali will be holding a Global Listening Party via a Spotify enabled chatroom at 11am PST / 2pm EST for users all over the world to collectively stream her new music, talk with one another, and ask questions. Taali was also recently featured on AdoramaTV’s episodic series Beyond the Sound, where she performed her empowering debut single "Hear You Now" with a special, handpicked collective choir of women.

In keeping with Taali’s love of worldwide communities, we’re so excited to open up her next EP “Were Most Of Your Stars Out?” for a worldwide listening party via Spotify. José and Taali will be joining to listen live, share love and answer questions.

https://umusic.digital/taali/

Los Angeles based producer duo Bright & Guilty have released their first single “Soft Age” via Rainbow Blonde Records. Straddling the intersection of psychedelic hip-hop, cinematic soundscapes, woozy synth-pop, and percussive electronica, Bright and Guilty find a unified sound that’s defined by the contrasts the group’s name implies. Bloomington-born Brian Bender and Istanbul-raised Deniz Cuylan comprise the core of Bright and Guilty and are joined on Soft Age by Obie-winning singer and avant garde composer Heather Christian.

Bright & Guilty is a two-man producer project that lays claim to the crossroads of psychedelic hip-hop, cinematic soundscapes, woozy synth-pop, and percussive electronica. But those are just labels. The Los Angeles duo is, in fact, a refraction of a storied city, a solid friendship, and a vast mountain of music knowledge. It's what happens when a pair of incredibly able technicians take a break from producing/engineering/writing/performing/editing for others and do the thing that's been waiting to break out all along. As the group's name implies, it's also about contrast, from the analog yet effects-heavy sound to the members themselves: Bloomington-born Brian Bender and Istanbul-raised Deniz Cuylan. Their collected credits stretch across films (The Mars Generation, Lemon), shows (El Chapo), ads (Nike) and albums (José James, KT Tunstall, Bing & Ruth), but Bright & Guilty sheds all expectation in favor of gut instinct and raw exploration.

Or, as Bender puts it, "We approached this as totally fucking whatever it wanted to be." Which helps explain why the music is easy on the ears but not so easy to categorize. It's tempting to invoke names like Prince Paul, Automator, and Shadow—all inspirations in their own right—but Bright + Guilty doesn't dwell in the past. It's more quantum than that, existing on a plane where Jamie xx produces the Isleys, Brainfeeder signs Broadcast, and Run the Jewels get remixed by Run-D.M.C.-era Rick Rubin. Unbound by genre, deadlines, or others' visions, Bright + Guilty go wild in Bender's Motherbrain studio—with its arsenal of analog synths, keyboards, and all of the rest—before turning their guest vocalists loose over the results. Cuylan outlines their simple but potent strategy: "Be very selective with contributors, but when you select them, set them free."

Taking its name from Orson Welles' description of L.A. as "a bright and guilty place," the project reflects the odd contradictions of its metropolis, moving between spaces both breezily upbeat and eerily disorienting. Neither of these men has ever confined himself to a sound. Cuylan grew up on guitar, idolizing Django Reinhardt, but became known for churning out dance-pop with his Portecho duo and folktronica in the band Norrda. In 2007, he wound up in New York producing an album of world-inspired indie-pop by Beck associates Brazzaville—by chance, Bender was the engineer that day. For his part, Bender wanted to be Melle Mel as a kid, though he studied classical instead while playing jazz around town. An injury forced him off double bass and into production, which led to studio jobs with Philip Glass, Russell Elevado, and The Hit Factory.

"We came from such different backgrounds but we understood each other immediately," recalls Cuylan. "We had a one-day session and we started a band together." They sealed the deal with what Bender calls a bro-date: "We went to see a bunch of studios together, had sushi, got drunk on sake, and fell in love with each other. We've been best friends since." Their math-rock group Manner didn't last but in the interim Bender built the first Motherbrain back east, in 2010, which became the headquarters for a nascent production and sound design business. Fast forward to 2017: after moving west, the guys send three films to Sundance, one to Cannes, and wrap up sound editing on El Chapo's third season—all within a year. They decide to take a month off to record whatever comes to mind. That month became three. That "whatever" became 34 songs.

Stream and buy here: rainbowblonde.co/softage

I’m free y’all. And you’re coming with me. Today I’m announcing that for the first time in my career I’m going fully independent. From now on all of my music will be released on my own artist-run and funded label Rainbow Blonde Records. Let me tell you a little bit about this label.

Founded in 2018 around the 10th Anniversary reissue of “The Dreamer,” Rainbow Blonde is the brainchild of Talia Billig, Brian Bender and myself. Every release from demos to final mastered vinyl is handpicked, art directed, produced and created by us. There’s no middle man any more. We oversee every step of the production to make sure the artists’ vision is supported and amplified. And rest assured that every dollar, pound, euro and yen that you guys spend buying one of our vinyl LPs, CDs, streaming a track, or towards buying merch (coming soon!) on our website supports our label and helps us fund a new project or sign a new artist. It’s just that simple. Every person we work with from design packaging, photography and video is listed on our website under “collective.” From LA to NY, London and Berlin our team is growing. This is a new moment for the music business and we are ready for it. A new label created by artists and for artists, right here right now. Come and join the movement.

We have some amazing releases coming up featuring some of the best minds of my generation:

10/23 Bright & Guilty “Soft Age” digital single
11/8 Taali “Were Most of Your Stars Out?” EP
2/7 Ben Williams “I Am A Man” LP

And something special from yours truly. Stay tuned.

——

Photos by Janette Beckman

Preorder here

Taali is back home in New York and preparing to debut her self-produced follow-up EP, Were Most Of Your Stars Out?, November 8th, 2019. Unlike her debut album I Am Here, Were Most Of Your Stars Out? (which references a line in Salinger’s Seymour: An Introduction), is entirely acoustic, opening with Taali’s high, trilling voice ringing out in a traditional Jewish melody. 

“Jewish people, after all, have a tradition of telling stories and asking questions. We weave our collective history and experience into melody, and into words,” Taali says.

With an intimate cover shot by famed photographer Janette Beckman, Stars captures Taali at the height of her singing and songwriting ability. The piano-led “Los Angeles,” reimagined from I Am Here, is a Regina Spektor-esque ode to starting over in an unfamiliar place. Later, the quiet, Fender Rhodes-led “Wayward Star,” which Taali wrote from her Orchard Street apartment, is a placid refrain about what it’s like “to be truly yourself with someone, and let down your guard.”

“Specifically, to be with someone who had been through as much as me was a new challenge, and also a new beauty,” Taali says. “I was thinking of both of us as broken people, but also beautiful people together.”

Closing out Stars, José James joins Taali on the peaceful, harmonized “Snowfall On Orchard,” which sounds like a sister song to Imogen Heap’s vocoder classic “Hide And Seek.”

“I wrote ‘Snowfall on Orchard’ with José five years ago,” she says. “It’s the first original song that we wrote together, and I think it’s a little postcard in time of a very, very optimistic moment in our lives, and a very in love moment. I’ve played it for years at my shows, but only people who have gone to live shows would know it.” 

Referencing history--her own, her family’s her city’s--is inherent to Taali’s process. In making a triumphant return to New York this year, Taali has both rediscovered her artistry and, after attending Nefesh in Los Angeles, her Jewish culture on Were Most Of Your Stars Out? Infusing traces of traditional Jewish melody into every song--especially album opener “The Main Thing,”

Taali, like onetime New York resident and modern storyteller Leonard Cohen, successfully weaves Jewish culture, melody and harmony into the wider American pop landscape.

Preorder here

Debuted by KCRW today, Taali has unveiled an intimate duet “Snowfall on Orchard” featuring her creative partner R&B/jazz vocalist José James. The breathtaking song is the second single off her forthcoming Were Most Of Your Stars Out? EP due out November 8 via Rainbow Blonde Records, a label and worldwide collective she runs with José James, and engineer and producer Brian Bender. Taking after fearless piano-led lead single “Los Angeles”, the EP is an entirely acoustic collection filled with unparalleled honesty, expressive lyricism and vulnerable fragility. Taali will be performing live across the US with stops in New York City, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Behind the inspiration, Taali shares, “‘Snowfall on Orchard’ and its surrounding EP, ‘Were Most Of Your Stars Out?’ honor where I come from, where I've journeyed, and where I've landed. I wrote "Snowfall on Orchard" with José in Manhattan, during a blizzard. It was and remains a transparent, dreamy accounting of the beginning of a love affair. After I wrote the song, I settled in Los Angeles for two years, where my writing and creativity exploded. Los Angeles (the current worldwide capital of songwriting, in my opinion), shaped my sound and it shaped my soul. We founded our record label with Brian Bender in Atwater Village, and now run the label as a bicoastal venture. The song grounds us in the city we wrote and recorded it (NYC), and the city where it was mixed and released (LA).”

Taali has announced the new Were Most Of Your Stars Out? EP due out November 8 via Rainbow Blonde Records. It is an entirely acoustic collection of seven tracks filled with unparalleled honesty, expressive lyricism and vulnerable fragility featuring creative partner R&B/jazz vocalist José James. Released today, the fearless, piano-led lead single “Los Angeles” is a Regina Spektor-esque ode to starting over in an unfamiliar place. Taali will be performing across the US with stops in New York City, Denver, and Los Angeles.

Tour Dates:

11/7: New York, NY @ Joe's Pub 
11/9: Denver, CO @ Mizell Cultural Center 
11/10: Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe

We’re thrilled to announce that Taali’s debut album “I Am Here” is available on all platforms and has already been met with a beautiful response. We’re so thankful to be able to share it with you. Listen on all platforms here.

“Full of thoughtfulness, genuine intentions, powerful imagery, and airy harmonies, the 15-track (I Am Here), is proof that Taali and her much needed positivity, are here to stay.”

— Bust

“I Am Here is a triumphant rallying cry for those seeking out healing, power, and connection. The whole album feels like an out of body experience from another perspective. Whatever darkness you’re in, Taali sheds a light of hope in I Am Here.”

— B Sides TV

“I Am Here released today on Rainbow Blonde Records (co-founded by Taali herself alongside José James), is a fittingly anthemic introduction to her avant-garde electro-pop enchantica. Full of drama, cinematism, and downright scorching vocal hooks, Taali’s new single breathes new life into a genre often over-saturated with sugary club bangers and lack-of-substance. ”

— BORN Music

Taali will release her debut album “I Am Here”

New York City: (le) Poisson Rouge, April 4, 2019. Tickets
Philadelphia: World Café Live, April 9, 2019. Tickets
Los Angeles: Bootleg Theater, April 12, 2019. Tickets

Lineup:
Dustin Kaufman - Drums
Taali - Synth
Jacob Bergson - Synth

We’re thrilled to release the single and music video for the stunning “Los Angeles” by Taali. Premiered by BlackBook Magazine, the video, directed and filmed by Rainbow Blonde community member Madelyn Deutch, filmed Taali’s last day in LA in her apartment and neighborhood market. Honoring their real life friendship, it captures the gentle, fragile moment where magic occurs.

Taali writes of the song, “I wrote it in February of 2017. That winter it rained, almost daily. For the first time in a decade, Los Angeles bloomed. And as the barren mountains flowered, I realized I could do the same. I put aside my deep, frantic need for external validation, and replaced it with a budding inner strength.”

Buy, stream or listen to “Los Angeles” here

We are thrilled to announce a new podcast hosted by Taali and José James. 1+2+3+4 is an exploration into the minds of creative humans worldwide from music to fashion, cooking, literature, dance, business, visual art and more. Join us every other Tuesday starting January 22, 2019 at 8:00 am EST.

Subscribe to your preferred service here

What is growth?
What is home?
What is identity?
How do we define our art?

The #IAmHere Roadtrip seeks to address these questions in real time.

TAALI and Rainbow Blonde Records co-founder José James will learn and connect with their audience as they travel across the United States starting from Los Angeles to New York City. At each stop, TAALI will film performances of her songs, culminating in the 2019 Rainbow Blonde Record Label Sunset Celebration setting roots in her new home, New York City.

Follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at #iamheretrip.

Join us.

Follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at #iamheretrip.