Raphael Saadiq is an amazing, mutli-talented artist. From his days with the 90's Tony Toni Tone to working with Dawn Robinson from En Vogue and Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest for the short-lived group Lucy Pearl to his amazing solo projects, Raphael has breath much needed life in to modern R&B. His first solo album "Instant Vintage" has always been one of my favorite R&B albums especially the tuba-infused track "Still Ray." His 2008 release "The Way I See It" garnered him three grammy nominations.
Now he is set to released his 4th solo album "Stone Rollin" on Columbia Records, which is due out May 10, 2011. The album continues where he left off with "The Way I See It" with beautifully constructed soul tunes. Saadiq played most of the instruments on the album, which is a true testament to his musical genius. The album features guests from vocalist Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragon, Amp Fiddler on keyboards to Robert Randolph on pedal steel guitar, and the legendary bass player Larry Graham. NPR Music has a full stream of "Stone Rollin" for you to check out before it is released.
Don't forget Raphael Saadiq will be playing this year's Summerfest on July 7 at 10pm on the Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard Stage.
