JANICE-MARIE...IMPROVING ON A GOOD THING...A TASTE OF HONEY
Janice-Marie
is unquestionably not the new kid on the block. Nor is she unfamiliar
with the intricate machinations of the music industry. As founder
and principal songwriter of the internationally acclaimed and
Grammy award- winning group "A
Taste of Honey," Janice-Marie is back in the
spotlight with the (Tastebuds Records) release of her
first Native American / Pop CD effort, Until The Eagle Falls
and it’s predecessor, Hiatus Of The Heart.
A
brief glance at Janice-Marie's musical accolades may seem daunting
to both insiders and outsiders alike. A Taste of Honey's self-titled
debut release, rocked the record industry in more ways than
one. It featured the multi-platinum smash hit "Boogie Oogie
Oogie," a Janice-Marie penned composition, which garnered
the group a Grammy for "Best New Artist of the Year,"
and nominations for "Best R&B Single" and "Best
Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo." While this was a
phenomenal accomplishment, it was no fluke. Their second release,
Another Taste earned international acclaim by walking away with
the coveted Gold Prize at the "8th Annual Tokyo Music Festival,"
with Janice-Marie also receiving the Gold Prize for songwriter.
The Janice-Marie composition, “Do It Good,” as well
as the Another Taste album were both certified Gold in Japan.
Some may say that success comes easy. Perhaps when speaking
of Janice-Marie, it's more correct to say that success comes
naturally. Today, she resumes her rightful place in the forefront
of the music arena. Not to be labeled with a specific genre,
sound or style Janice-Marie confides, "I like a variety
of music...classical music in the mornings... reggae in the
afternoons. I like to get my boogie on in the evenings...but
at night...I want my love songs. I'm a ballad, fireplace, take-a-walk-up-in-the-hills
sort of person." To this end, her music punctuates her
diversity of spirit. Case in point, A Taste of Honey's third
release, Twice As Sweet. Her talented magic transformed Japan's
Kyu Sakamoto's 1963 hit "Sukiyaki" into an international
mega hit classic. Produced by George Duke, it was certified
Gold in both the United States and Japan, along with “Rescue
Me,” another single from the same album.
Through the years, Janice-Marie's songs have been covered, sampled
and borrowed many times. Her music of yesterday contributes
greatly to the success of numerous 'R&B,' ‘Pop,' 'Rap'
and 'Hip Hop' hits of today. Janice-Marie's song Boogie Oogie
Oogie has been recorded by Fablolous, Brooke Valentine and Yo
Yo and is the first single from the 2005 Roll Bounce movie.
A second version of the same song has been recorded by Keyshia
Cole and Fablolous and is also featured in the Roll Bounce movie.
Her music has been featured by a host of other artists as well,
including Ice Cube, Mary J. Blige, MC Lyte, Positive K, Pure
Sugar and European artists Martin Carboo, Peter Andre and a
multitude of other Japanese and European artist. Her music has
also been showcased on television programs including “American
Idol,” “King Of Queens,” "All My Children,"
"Fairy Odd Parents," “Monday Night Mayhem,”
”The Parkers.” “Rock and Roll Jeopardy,”
“The Oprah Winfrey Show," “The Martin Short
Show," “Touched By An Angel," just to name a
few. Movie credits include the 2005 films “Roll
Bounce” and “Into The Blue”, as well as
“Screwed," “Cowboys & Angels," “A
Fate Worse Than Death," "Step Mom," "Mystery
Man," "Contact" and "54," and many
more. Commercial credits include Coca Cola, Frito Lay, The New
York Lottery, Burger King and Old Navy. Janice-Marie’s
music is also featured in variety of video games and slot machines
including the Dick Clark’s American Bandstand slot machine.
After
such a extended period working behind the scenes, Janice-Marie
the record producer, musician, songwriter and entertainer has
once again returned to the limelight with the release of her
long-awaited CD Hiatus Of The Heart and Until The Eagle Falls.
Janice-Marie has decided to take her place center stage and
she does so with a style and grace that is all her own. She
has been performing to sold-out concerts from the east coast
to the west coast, in casino, arenas, clubs, festivals and concert
halls. Janice-Marie’s shows are not only exciting and
uplifting, with her natural gift of wooing her audience, she
commands your undivided attention and leaves you wanting more.
Her new CD contains songs of love and life. Alice O'Neil of
Hollywood-Behind-the Scenes writes in her review of the "Hiatus
of the Heart" CD... “she seduces listeners with her
vocal art and guitar expertise. She gives a new meaning to the
age-old longing to be free, in all its manifestations. “Until
The Eagle Falls”, was written as a gesture of gratitude
to all of the people who took part in that magical weekend in
Gallup, New Mexico. That’s where, through the embracing
of her people’s songs and dance, the spirit of this ancient
ancestry impacted her heart, mind and soul. In celebration of
her Stockbridge-Munsee-Mohican heritage, Janice-Marie weaves
legendary Native American mythology about how the eagle NEVER
falls (and a haunting melody) into a tranquil and precious
ballad of devotion…eternal…a love song for the ages.
“Until The Eagle Falls” CD
and Music video garnered Janice-Marie with the ‘Award
of Excellence’ and the ‘Award of Distinction’
at the 2003 1st Indian Summer Festival Film and Video Image
Awards, as well as the 2002 “Nammy Award for ‘Best
Producer,’ not to mention the Silver Arrow Award for her
contributions to Native American Music. In addition to all of
the above, Janice-Marie is currently featured on the Felton
Pilate (of Con Funk-Shun) www.feltonpilate.com,
"Nothing But Love Spoken Here" CD, where she sings
a duet with Felton on the song "Only For You". She
is also the featured love interest in Felton's music video of
his first single, "Nothing But Love Spoken Here" on
the Escapi label. You can also catch Janice-Marie as she co-host
along with Felton Pilate on the "Love
Spoken Here" radio show. .