NEWS
BROWNSTONE RELEASING FIRST NEW MUSIC IN 25 YEARS
Lately, the female singing trio Brownstone has been all about the “re.” “We’re reinventing, we’re refreshed, we’re renewed, we’re revamped,” member Teisha Brown told CNN in a recent interview. “Now don’t get it twisted: you still are getting Brownstone, but we are giving you a little bit of a new feel.”
That “new feel” is their single, “All I Want,” their first new music in more than 25 years.The group first burst onto the scene in 1994 with their hit single, “If You Love Me.” Much has changed in the music industry since then.
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“Songs are not as long,” Nicci Gilbert, a founding member of Brownstone, said. “Back in the day it was songs, it was bodies of work. I think now the industry is more about a vibe. We’re listening to a lot of short form content. Everywhere we look is like a TikTok video that’s a second and a half and that’s really working.”
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Music is now more digestible, she said, and the trick is to maintain artistry while adapting.So while they are leaning into change, they are doing so from the foundation of being a beloved R&B girl group.
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That love helped when original group member Charmayne “Maxee” Maxwell died in 2015 at the age of 46 after an accident.
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Brown and Gilbert have a new member, Arin Jackson, who they say reminds them a great deal of Maxwell, not only in terms as her talent but also her mannerisms and personality.Jackson, for her part, said she’s thrilled to be a part of Brownstone.
“I get a rare opportunity you don’t get in this industry to learn from the living legend Nicci Gilbert, and on the other side of me I have what I consider the most talented woman in the world, Teisha Lott Brown,” Jackson said. “And I get to bring my talent and my showmanship to this group to blend and to keep Brownstone’s legacy alive.”
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The trio are dedicated to putting out stellar R&B. Brown pointed out how popular ’90s groups continue to resonate with audiences through “old skool” tours that are making the rounds.
Gilbert said that’s one of the reasons you see their contemporaries, like SWV and Xscape, also making new music.
“We’ve come to a place where things are so hard that people are looking to lean on really talented people and great songs and great music, because I think it speaks a universal language,” she said.
BROWNSTONE REUNITING FOR SUMMER TOUR DATES
Brownstone Reunited with original member Monica "Mimi" Doby on Jan 28, 2016 during a performance with Tory Lanez on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE. Since their showstopping performance Brownstone on Kimmel the group has booked additional dates for Summer 2016.
REST IN PARADISE ETERNALLY MAXEE
Charmayne “Maxee” Maxwell, a member of 1990s R&B trio Brownstone, died over the weekend after an accident at her Los Angeles home. She was 46. Maxwell was at her home on Friday when she fell and cut her throat on a drinking glass that shattered during the fall, her representative said Monday. Her sons father producer Carsten “Soulshock” Schack, found her some time later and called 911. Maxwell was rushed to a hospital where she died, the representative said. She is survived by Schack and her 11-year-old son, Nicolaj Hojer, Her Family and Brownstone Group Members. Maxwell found fame in the early '90s after she formed the group with Monica “Mimi” Doby and Nicole “Nicci” Gilbert. After an acappella audition, the R&B trio were the first act signed to Michael Jackson’s fledgling Epic-distributed imprint, MJJ Music. Remember Brownstone member Charmayne 'Maxee' Maxwell by watching the group's smash hit "If You Love Me."Brownstone released its debut, “From the Bottom Up,” in 1995. The album featured hits “Grapevyne," “Pass the Lovin” and their cover of the Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why.”Maxwell's group is best known for its 1994 smash, “If You Love Me. ”The gospel-inflected groove was its biggest hit, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the U.K. singles chart and is a hallmark of R&B's '90s golden era. The song was nominated for a Grammy and later covered by British soul star Jessie Ware. Brownstone issued another album, 1997’s “Still Climbing,” after going through the first of a few lineup switches. Schack worked on both albums. In 2013, the group attempted a comeback on “R&B Divas: Atlanta,” the hit TV One reality series that once starred Gilbert (who serves as executive producer).“I just need to be by you one more time on stage Max,” current member Teisha Brown wrote on an Instagram post that featured a recent picture of the trio performing.“Words can not express how devastated we are at the sudden and tragic loss of our dear Maxee. She was the center of our world as a devoted mother and wife. We miss her so much,” read a family statement. “We would like to thank everyone who has been there for us and expressed your condolences. They have given us comfort over these incredibly difficult days. We would appreciate privacy during this most difficult time.”
BROWNSTONE & TORY LANEZ
Though he's had a couple should-be hits, last summer's "Say It" has turned out to be Tory Lanez' biggest single by far, now sitting at No. 23 on the Billboard 100. Some credit for the song's success has to go to the all-female '90s R&B group Brownstone, whose "If You Love Me" is sampled on the "Say It" chorus, the highlight of the song. Last night, Lanez was the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and he surprised the audience by bringing the reunited members of Brownstone to the stage to provide his backing vocals on "Say It." "The Brownstone reunion happened live on Jimmy Kimmel with me tonight THEY HAVEN'T SANG TOGETHER IN 20 years #HONORED," Lanez wrote on Twitter after the performance.