Goapele
"What I really appreciate about
the music that I grew up to is that I feel like I can play
those albums now and still hear something new. It's still
relevant. That's how I want my music to be perceived. It's
what I strive for." -Goapele
Goapele (pronounced "gwa-pa-lay")
is a multi-faceted artist whose lyrical themes range from
political activism to romantic sensuality to deep spiritual
truths, while her music combines elements of soul, hip-hop,
jazz and rhythm and blues into a smooth and seductive blend
uniquely her own.
Her debut album, Even Closer, began as a
ten-song EP (entitled "Closer") that Goapele and
her family distributed as an independent release in 2001,
eventually selling 3,000 copies based on ecstatic word-of-mouth
endorsements and her growing reputation as an incandescent
live performer. In 2002, Goapele reworked her now highly collectible
debut EP, adding five new songs, and, along with her brother,
Namane, and Theo Rodrigues, formed the indie label Skyblaze
for the purpose of distributing the album now called Even
Closer.
The indie version of Even Closer was an
immediate regional hit, at one point outselling 50 Cent's
Get Rich or Die Tryin' in the Bay Area. The album's indie
incarnation has, to date, Sound Scanned more than 60,000 units
and climbed into the Top 100, reaching #63 on Billboard's
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A three-star review of Even
Closer in Rolling Stone, who singled out Goapele as one of
its "Ten Artists To Watch," praised her "...distinct
vocal sensibility..." calling Goapele "...a balance
of steamrolling Chaka Khan power and yoga-girl suppleness
that's full of promise." Billboard invoked Nina Simone
and Sade as influences while stressing that "...this
classic chanteuse-in-the making is definitely her own woman
of substance."
While Even Closer brought Goapele to her
initial nationwide attention, audiences continued to pack
into clubs ranging from New York's famed S.O.B's to the Bay
Area's fabled Fillmore Auditorium and Yoshi's, where her debut
run sold-out four shows in two nights. In its review of her
live performances, the San Francisco Chronicle noted that
Goapele is a "...petite songstress with a voice that
can fill a stadium... She has been gaining popularity here
as an elegant romantic who weaves poetic narratives.... The
introspective and airy vocals combined with sassy grooves
make Goapele a bit of an urban music anomaly... The rising
star ran through a repertoire that borrowed as much from African
stars such as Miriam Makeba as it did Stevie Wonder, Sade
and Nina Simone. The evening's highlight came with a bilingual
rendition of 'Soweto Blues,' a hybrid of jazz and African
styles that featured three South African vocalists and a conga
player tearing up the stage while Goapele urged the audience
to sing along in a celebration of self-determination."
Perhaps it is the local Bay Area publication,
Urban View, which best summed up Goapele's artistry, "Her
vocals shatter souls, leaving audiences begging for more....
She can vocally capture the heart of anyone." She possesses
one of the most alluring and powerful voices within the new
soul genre, injecting her poignant words with both soul and
substance.
Goapele—who was influenced by music
from Stevie Wonder, Etta James, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday,
Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley and Prince as well as by community,
political and social issues—would like to further develop
as an artist, vocalist and musician. Written and recorded
on both the East and West coasts, Even Closer is the fruit
of Goapele's labor and inspiration. The Urban View Newspaper
reports, "She doesn't just sing, she rips it. She can't
hold back. But then again, moving forward is what Goapele
is all about."
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