Ann Nesby
Ms. Ann Nesby – Former lead singer from hit making Gospel group ‘Sounds of Blackness’ comes back to bless us with her time & shares into feelings about her latest CD, her background & much more! She chills with Terrill & speaks out!
TERRILL: The Urban Music Scene.com is privileged to have with us today a vocal powerhouse of the R&B scene, Ms Ann Nesby. Hey girl!!
ANN: Hi there, how are you?
TERRILL: I’m doing good, I’m doing good.
ANN: All right!
TERRILL: How about yourself?
ANN: I’m doing wonderful and I’m very excited about this new release – “This is Love”.
TERRILL: “This is Love,” “This is Love,” your voice carries it. Could you tell us a little bit more about the project?
ANN: Well, this is a project that we teamed up together, my label, my husband and I – Mr. Timothy Lee, Timetow Records and Shanachie Entertainment. On this R&B project “This is Love” with a release date of Sept 25th. And I co-wrote on all the songs on the project as I teamed up with some great young producers that are just getting out and about in the industry. I am so excited that we’re going to have a chance to re-explore the R&B music like from the root up and I’m very excited about it. Some real great songs and I’m just waiting for that release date!
TERRILL: You have some very powerful songs. I had the privilege to review the CD the other day.
ANN: Oh thank you.
TERRILL: It took me back to your very first solo release.
ANN: That’s exciting to hear. That’s just what I wanted to hear!
TERRILL: Because when you came with that first release on your solo embarkment …
ANN: …“I’m Here For You”
TERRILL: Oh man! It still gets major airplay in the house and my wife loves that CD! I definitely dig it! What would you say is different about this CD as opposed to your first one?
ANN: I think maybe that the sounds of today. I think just the producers, new blood- they’re not quite as prolific as maybe I should say, a different word, but as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, because they are world class and these are young producers, but the titles and the story lines are much the same in that it’s coming from a real R&B root and I think, I tried to do something for everybody. My first single is going to be “I Apologize,” which is a song of much much in the vein of I’ll do anything – only its coming from an apologetic state, whereas sometimes we as women, we don’t always like to say I’m sorry and apologize. But there are times in our relationships when it becomes necessary and I think this will probably be one of those ways women will be able to apologize and get the courage up to say I’m sorry. And I hope they will use my song to do that.
TERRILL: I hope so too. Because I’ve been playing a lot of that one recently.
ANN: That’s wonderful.
TERRILL: And you know it does take me back to “I’ll Do Anything” on the first CD. In fact, it took me back to another love ballad you had off the first project. But one thing I noticed about the whole album This is Love is that you’re taking it to the inspirational, you’re taking it back to the traditional R&B …
ANN: Yes, Yes
TERRILL: There’s very little hip hop in this in terms of sampling and whatever have you. Your approach is to revive and re-candlelight that whole R&B deal?
ANN: I definitely wanted to come from a traditional R&B angle in that I do feel that there is a need for that R&B root of music to be brought back and headlined again so that our young people will be able to understand the root of the music that they are listening to has definitely derived from an R&B point of view. Even with the hip hop and the samples that was used a lot in the hip hop music – they enjoyed that music and I think that they should know the origin of the music that they love. And I think this is a great way to reintroduce young people and to allow people my age to enjoy the music they love as well.
TERRILL: Ah man, amen. oh man. Because I tell you, traditional R&B is what makes a lot of the music go round right now.
ANN: Oh yes.
TERRILL: You know
ANN: Absolutely, even samples with the rap.
TERRILL: Exactly, exactly. You know one of the things that need to be, I need to pinpoint in this interview – your passion behind your voice. What draws your energy behind your vocals, I mean you have these pipes, you have this flow that’s just man, it takes the song to the next level. What draws your influence behind your singing, behind your voice? Your passion, what draws your passion?
ANN: Well, I definitely would have to say that I want to reach the heart of those that listen. And when I deliver, I try to deliver it from my heart. And I know whatever I find in the past and I know that whatever is from the heart always reaches the heart. In that when I try to tell my story and I try to tell it from an honest and pure point of view – and to allow people to draw and discern if they ever get into this situation, maybe this could be a help to them. So I try to be as honest and honest with myself and honest with others that may have an opportunity to hear this music as I can. And the passion is my love for the arts and also I would definitely have to say in learning from so many great pioneer artists that had the same passion – such as Aretha and Gladys and Patty. I learned so many things from those great artists – Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross. I mean those artists were ones that I had an opportunity to be around and learn from so I included some of the things I learned from them and my style of music and I think that also contributes to the passion.
TERRILL: In speaking of your passion, I mean coming from Sounds of Blackness, do you miss the boys, the girls, the ladies, the people, you’re the crew, Do you miss your group? Do you miss Sounds of Blackness?
ANN: I absolutely miss the total concept of Sounds of Blackness. But I think the Sounds of Blackness, I think the group has taken a more useful turn and a lot of the people who I was in Sounds of Blackness with they’re not in the group as much per say as the new regime of Sounds of Blackness – which was stated in the beginning that it would continue to be a chapter of the Sounds of Blackness as the group evolves and I think if I may say the more mature group of Sounds of Blackness people are out and about, if they are not doing their own thing, they’ve gone on to do other things in the music community. But I do miss the concept of Sounds of Blackness in that it was definitely a great part of my life and it was definitely the springboard that allowed me to
have a solo career – so there’s no way I could not miss that.
TERRILL: Wow, and that springboard led to another gospel album, pure gospel album In The Spirit and In The Spirit was one of my favorites as well.
ANN: Why thank you.
TERRILL: I’m going to be revisiting that album very soon!
ANN: Thank you! I was so privileged to do that project because coming from a group like Sounds of Blackness and even before being in Sounds of Blackness, I was a lover of all genres of music. And Sounds of Blackness allowed me the courage and it gave me the courage to be able to explore all types of music unapologetically in that I grew up in the church, I am a Christian and I had the opportunity to have a fan base that loves gospel music. I have a fan base that that loves R&B and then I have the dance community and I try to remain true to my fans. I try to give them something on every project. And with the gospel project, I was allowed to share some of the greatest hymns in my lifetime and songs that my father and mother taught me. To be able to share them with the world and to be able to bless my mother and father by recording these things that they taught me, it was an honor for me. And then to be able to go back and pay tribute to great singers such as Aretha Franklin with “Climbing Higher Mountains,” the Queen of Gospel Ms Albertina Walker with “Go to God in Prayer,” which happens to be some of the songs that encourage my life. It was seven-fold blessing for me.
TERRILL: Wow. And it still paying the, I mean the blessing are still pouring. Being that you’re, I mean one of the things that as an interviewer and a reviewer for the Urban scene, and also being the owner and the publisher. We get a chance to look at just about every type of talent that comes through. Gospel, R&B, and jazz. We come across some new talent that’s trying to reinvent, trying to revitalize the traditional R&B approach and you have some that are trying to bring back jazz. But when you look at the young, you look at those who are in the middle – I find inspirational singers such as yourself or like your grace over the music itself. Have you been told that you are considered, I’m not going to say possibly, but you’re considered one of the best singers in the world?
ANN: That is a great compliment and I hope I never get arrogant enough to say yes I am, but I will always be one to say thank you. And thank you that people could even consider even thinking that thought, because I definitely want to live and share the best that I can of my gift and whether I’m singing to three or four or 3,000 to 10,000 I always try to give my best and to give people a good time when they hear my music. And when I’m recording live or whether I’m on stage, I want the quality of the music to be at a level where people can appreciate it and come away from it feeling good.
TERRILL: Good, good. I mean it’s not just the slow ballads that make me light my candles here, okay, all right. We won’t go there because I know for me to get my wife mesmerized, I have to put her in the moment. You know I just have to put on one of your CDs and call it a night. But you also have some music that just get people grooving.
ANN: I’m glad!
TERRILL: On the new album, This Is Love, one of our guest reviewers, who is currently reviewing your CD right now, Marvin Dickey is going crazy over your track 5 “Step”.
ANN: Yes.
TERRILL: He loves “Step.” Let’s talk about “Step.”
TERRILL: It’s powerful, definitely.
ANN: Oh thank you.
TERRILL: The music altogether on the album the song the sequences of songs is just falling right after each like a domino effect and it’s just a very well done project and we definitely wish you the best, we wish you God’s blessing over the project and I really have enjoyed your time this afternoon.
ANN: Well, I certainly appreciate you and I’m telling you the things that we talked about they were definitely right on and I appreciate it when people get what I’m trying to do and this project – I’m so excited about it is going to be released on September 25th. So it will be sort of like coming into fall and it will allow people who will start to be in to put it on and just try to hear it and to hear the music, the different styles and the different genres of music wrapped all into this R&B project and I hope that people will enjoy it and love it. And I also want people to know that they can come to my website if they can’t find it in the stores. Sometimes they say they can’t find it.
TERRILL: Tell us. What’s the name of your website?
ANN: My website is www.annnesby.com
TERRILL: All right, its in there, it’s on there. It’s going to be printed baby. I really enjoyed your time. I feel like I’m at home with you man, it’s like
ANN: Thank you so much.
TERRILL: I wish you the best. I hope you come to 
LACE w:st=”on”>Southern CaliforniaLACE> so I could see you live.
ANN: I hope I do to, and I would definitely be looking forward to seeing your face.
TERRILL: That’s right! Stay on Monifah over there at Shanachie and make sure she hook me up sweetheart and..
ANN: Absolutely!
TERRILL: Well God bless you Ann!
ANN: Give my love to all.
TERRILL: Yes ma’am and I’ll see you soon. Take care.
ANN: Bye bye and you too.
TERRILL: Take Care
For more on Ann Nesby, please visit her site @ www.annnesby.com or www.shanachie.com
The Urban Music Scene