Brownstone releases first new music in 25 years





CNN

Lately, the Brownstone trio of singers have been focusing on the “re”.

“We’re reinventing, we’re refreshing, we’re renewing, we’re revamping,” member Teisha Brown told CNN in a recent interview. “Now don’t twist it: you still get Brownstone, but we give you a bit of a new feel.”

This “new sensation” is their single, “All I Want”, their first new music in over 25 years.

The group burst onto the scene in 1994 with their single “If You Love Me”.

A lot has changed in the music industry since then.

“The songs aren’t as long,” said Brownstone founding member Nicci Gilbert. “At the time, it was songs, it was bodies of work. I think now the industry is more of a vibe. We listen to a lot of short-form content. Everywhere we look is like a TikTok video that lasts a second and a half and really works.

The music is now more digestible, she says, and the trick is to maintain the art while adapting.

So as they lean into change, they do so from the ground up of being a beloved R&B girl group.

That love helped when original band member Charmayne “Maxee” Maxwell died in 2015 at the age of 46 after an accident.

Brown and Gilbert have a new member, Arin Jackson, who they say reminds them a lot of Maxwell, not only in talent, but also in manners and personality.

Jackson, for her part, said she was thrilled to be a part of Brownstone.

“I have a rare opportunity that you don’t have in this industry to learn from living legend Nicci Gilbert, and on the other side of me I have what I consider to be the most talented woman in the world, Teisha Lott Brown,” Jackson said. . “And I can bring my talent and showmanship to this group to blend in and keep the Brownstone legacy alive.”

The trio is dedicated to producing stellar R&B. Brown pointed out how popular bands from the ’90s continue to resonate with audiences through “old-school” tours that do the trick.

Gilbert said that’s one of the reasons you see their contemporaries, like SWV and Xscape, also making new music.

“We’ve gotten to a place where things are so tough that people are looking to rely on really talented people and great songs and great music because I think that speaks a universal language,” he said. she declared.