Bo Benton Turns It Up
April 14, 2009 by Tanisha Williams
Filed under Cover Story, Featured
Poised as the next ‘Don Diva,’ daring enough to step outside the box, singer, songwriter, producer Bo Benton exemplifies the annotated lyrics below to her next single “Blue Flame (Turn It Up).”
Temperature rising…(turn it up)
On fire…(turn it up)
Hot, hot, hot…(turn it up)
Blistering…(turn it up)
Boiling point…(turn it up)
Ignite my soul/give it all you’ve got
It ain’t hot enough
Take me to the blue flame!
Turn it up!
In preparation for the July 28 release of her pop/rock/R&B/dance-infused debut album, Queen of the Night, exclusively on her own Gold Starr label through Bungalo/Universal Music Group, the electrifying vocalist is already riding the airwaves of urban from Chattanooga’s WJTT-FM to Chicago’s WGCI-FM, rhythmic and Top 40 from Tucson’s KOHT-FM to Salisbury, Maryland’s WOCQ-FM, and urban AC from Fayetteville, NC’s WCCG-FM to Augusta, Georgia’s WIIZ-FM. Hot on her current single, “I Know You Want It,” radio is spreading the sound of what’s in store.
Backed by a stellar production team that includes producer Lil Ronnie (Bow Wow, Nelly, R. Kelly, T Pain), writer and Gold Starr labelmate Pusher Deville, and mixer KD aka Kevin Davis (Pink, Usher, NSYNC), Benton personally assembled the right ingredients to satisfy any musical thirst. “I have great producers,” she says confidently. “This is a very exciting album. I wanted to make a classic album and that’s why it took me so long to complete. I did 40 songs, but I only chose ten for this album.”
Formally trained at the Chicago Sherwood Conservatory of Music, the Southside Chicago native began performing as a child. A writer and producer as well, she also plays the piano and isn’t too bad with a guitar. “I was always a natural performer,” Benton shares. ” My father is a bass player and ran a small record label in Hollywood back in the ’70s. My mother is a pianist and my grandmother was an opera singer. It’s in my DNA.”
“This is the first song that I ever made where I’m outside of it.”
Expect the unexpected on Queen of the Night. Cameos with Raekwon of Wu Tang Clan on the cut “Baller” with a rare appearance by Too Short. ” There are one or two slow songs and I’m rapping on this album as well,” says Benton. “Sometimes I might hear a track that motivates me or I might be in a certain mood and I want to write about what’s happening in my life. It’s not one particular thing that happens at one particular moment. The continuity, however, between everything is that it’s always in the moment, whether it’s a beat, the mood or just in the studio having fun. We capture those moments in time.”
These moments manifest in one of Benton’s favorite songs, “Blue Flame (Turn It Up).” “This is the first song that I ever made where I’m outside of it,” Benton exclaims. “It’s like wow! I’m a fan of this song. I knew when I was getting ready to record “Blue Flame” that I had to come out of myself. It wasn’t about Bo; I had to let it go.”
Letting go seems to be just one theme in many of the tracks. Empowerment is another. The title track, “Queen of the Night,” is a power anthem that aims to motivate women to rise above and live their own lives. Inspired by a personal experience, Benton wrote the lyrics to “Queen of the Night” in 15 minutes during a stay in room 403 at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. “It’s a rock song. It’s a hellified song,” she explains, “about a girl getting her heart broken, but she finds the power in herself to not only move on, but also, not be bitter and to cherish what they had. It’s like she’s saying, ‘Thank you for that, it’s going to make me stronger and better.’” Produced by Jason Edmonds (Michael Jackson, Jon B., Sisqo), Mark Tabb and Ansone and mixed by Rob Beaton (”Devil Wears Prada,” “Batman Begins”), the song radiates the heat and passion that radio and clubs can feel.
Referred to as the “hot chick on rollerskates” on one blog for her first single “Bounce” that independently surged to the top spot on YouTube.com and MySpace.com in December 2006 knocking out both P. Diddy and Jay-Z for the number one spot, Benton showed she had all the moves visually as well. Her second single, “Make That Move,” confirmed the buzz was real. Leaked to servers, it quickly attracted more than 3.6 million viewers.
“I strive for a perfect blend of style and substance,” she was quoted as saying about her early releases. “Style definitely has its place, especially since my album is upbeat fun music to be played in the clubs. People going to clubs are usually stylish and hot-looking.”
“Style definitely has its place, especially since my album is upbeat fun music to be played in the clubs. People going to clubs are usually stylish and hot-looking.”
But ultimately, she describes herself as “a hybrid of yesterday and tomorrow… I feel like I have a unique sound and do not sound like another artist. And that is the way I’d like to keep it.”
Inspired by such diva legacies as Diana Ross and Whitney Houston, Benton has been on a mission to establish and maintain her own identity. With an industry saturated with cookie-cutter starlets that many times are left to compete for a space on the charts through vamping up their image of seduction, Benton takes pride in discovering and signing herself to her very own label–Gold Starr Records. Described as “the female Jay-Z” because she both runs the label and is at the same time its main asset, Benton says she is very hands on.
Although analytical in her decisions as president of Gold Starr, Benton, nevertheless, sees the stuff of legends in herself as the artist Bo Benton. “Music has to be raw human emotion. It’s the purest art form for me,” Benton the artist explains. “I can be a glamour doll one day, be grungy the next and rock and roll, or go hood on you and street. I don’t think you can be a real artist unless you are making the art you’re feeling. How is somebody going to tell me I don’t want you to rap, I don’t want you to do a country song, I want you to do R&B? The industry is changing rapidly. It’s like the wild, wild west right now.”
And, with all guns blazing, she’s foraging her own path…doing it her way.
Applying the same standards for other artists as she does to herself, as a label executive she has also been building Gold Starr into an artist-friendly entertainment company. “I have two super dope rappers–one from Atlanta and the other from Miami.” Pusher Deville, the rapper from College Park, is featured on Benton’s single “I Know You Want It” and already has his own release, “Bodies In the Club” on the streets. Rapper Live Wire, whom she describes as “extremely talented,” is currently in artist development and almost ready. ” We have a pop female artist too,” Benton adds. “She’s 16 years old and very well-versed. Her mother is a trained opera singer and she’s been singing since she was four.” The label’s website is open to more new artists and invites them to contact the label with the opening, “Are you ready to be a Gold Starr?”
“I met Roberto Cavalli in Milan and he promised me at the time, ‘Whenever your record comes out, find me and I will make you stage outfits.”
Looking at the long term, Benton is bent on building a career for herself as the artist and for the artists she is selecting to develop under her brand. “If it weren’t for the love of music that I have, I wouldn’t be doing this,” she assures us, “but music is in my heart and soul.”
Her planning and hard work are now paying off. With almost deadly precision, she has orchestrated the unfolding of herself, the artist Bo Benton. A 12-city promo tour kicks off in the coming weeks as radio continues to pump her singles. Her online presence at www.bobenton.com and myspace.com/bobenton add fans daily and she’s all atwitter on the Internet’s sites from blackhollywood to ca.askmen, celebritywonder to sumotv. People are calling in to find out more about Bo Benton. It’s heating up! The momentum is building for the album release on April 21.
“I’m finally feeling excited,” she exclaims. “I met Roberto Cavalli in Milan and he promised me at the time, ‘Whenever your record comes out, find me and I will make you stage outfits,’” Benton gushes. “I’m looking for Roberto Cavalli.”
BRE founder and Chairman of the Board Sidney Miller recalls the confidence and charisma Bo exuded when they first met. “When I first met Bo about two years ago at the Black Enterprise Oscar party at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, she came up to me and said, “Mr. Miller, you don’t know me, but one day I’m going to be on the cover of your magazine.” I asked her what label she was on and she replied, “My own.” I thought at the time this was someone who was going to make it.
Written by Tanisha Williams, freelance journalist/reporter and publisher of
Renaissance Women magazine. www.renaissancewomenmag.com
New LP Releases
February 20, 2009 by Admin2
Filed under Breaking News
This list is updated regularly, so check back often.
March 2009 – Various Artists “True To The Game, Vol 1) (Stadium/EMI Music)
March 2009 – Buju Banton “Rasta Got Soul” (Gargamel Music)
March 2009 – Shawty Lo “Carlos”
March 2009 – K.A.R. Joe Crack & Pistol Pete (E1)
March 2009 – Jaimee Paul “At Last: A Tribute to the great girl singers of our time” (Green Hill 800.200.4656)
March 2009 – Leif Shires “What A Wonderful World” (Green Hill)
March 2009 – Mike Murphy “Love” (3CrossesMusic.com)
March 2009 – John Jacob “Chevy High” (BigDaddySound.com)
March 2009 – G.T. “Block O” (BigDaddySound.com)
March 2009 – Greg Rolie and the Gregg Rolie Band “Live at the Sturgis Motorcycle Ralley in 2007 DVD”
March 2009 – Diamond D “The Hugh Hefner Chronicles” (Babygrande)
March 3 - Norman Hutchins “God Is Faithful” (IR)
March 3 - Digital Underground “Scratchwutchalike” (Jake)
March 3 - Grandmaster Flash “The Bridge: Concept Of A Culture” (Adrenaline City/Strut)
March 3 - Luniz “The Lost Tapes 2″ (Jake)
March 3 - The-Dream “Love vs. Money” (Def Jam)
March 3 - Chris Cornell “Scream” (Mosley Music/Interscope)
March 3 – Slim Thug “I Represent This. Pt 2: 10 Years Later”
March 4 – Movada “Mr. Brooks…A Better Tomorrow”
March 10 - The Brown Boyz “Harvest Time” (Black Smoke/Worldwide)
March 10 - Tabatha Roy “Worship You” (The Barrow Music Group)
March 10 - DefJam Collaborations “It Takes Two, Part 2” (DefJam 25)
March 10 - J. Holiday “Round 2″ (Capitol)
March 10 – Mr. C “The Cha Cha Slide Greatest Hits” (E1)
March 10 - Jadakiss “The Last Kiss” (Def Jam)
March 10 - DJ G-Spot “Midwest Invasion” (Freakshow)
March 10 – Nat King Cole “Re: Genertions” (Capitol/EMI)
March 13 - Dainjamental “Unexpected” (Jake/Killer Groove)
March 17 – Saigon “All In A Day’s Work” (Amalgam Digital)
March 17 - Gorilla Zoe TBA (Bad Boy/Atlantic)
March 17 - Ron Browz “Etherboy” (Universal Motown)
March 17 - Kelly Clarkson “All I Ever Wanted” (RCA)
March 17 – Tonex “Unspoken” (Battery/RCA/Jive)
March 17 – Paul Jackson, Jr. “Lay It Back” (Branch Records Inc)
March 17 – BofA “BofA” (SM Entertainment)
March 17 – Hugh Masekela “Phola” (Four Quarters)
March 20 – TuPac Shakur featuring Boot Camp Clik, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg “One Nation” (A.E.G.)
March 20 – Icadon “Robot-ic”
March 24 – Prince “LOtUSFLOW3R,” “MPLSoUND,” “Elixir” (LotusFlow3r.com/Target)
March 24 - Creflo Dollar “Creflo Dollar Presents Heart of God” (Arrow)
March 24 - Dorothy Norwood “Fifty Years: It’s Been Worth It All” (Malaco)
March 24 - Israel Houghton “The Power of One” (Integrity/Columbia)
March 24 - The Supreme Angels “Reloaded” (Malaco)
March 24 - Busta Rhymes “Back On My B.S.” (Universal Motown)
March 24 – Yung Joc, Macy Gray, Mario et al “True to the Game) (Stadium/EMI)
March 24 - Jim Jones “Prey for Reign” (Columbia)
March 24 - Keri Hilson “In A Perfect World…” (Mosley/Zone 4/Interscope)
March 24 - Slim Thug “Boss Of All Bosses” (Boss Hogg Outlawz/E1)
March 24 – Krayzie Bone “Just One Mo Hit” (RBC Records)
March 24 – Sean Jones “The Search Within” (Mack Avenue Records)
March 24 – Rick James “I’m Rick James: The Definitive DVD” (Hip-O/Motown/Ume)
March 24 - Leela James “Let’s Do It Again” (Shanachie)
March 28 – Errol Bullens, Jr. “Give Him the Praise” (Deliverance Records)
March 31 - Ann Nesby “The Lula Lee Project” (It’s Time Child/Tyscot)
March 31 - Sharon MaRee “Triumph” (T)
March 31 - Drama TBA (Atlantic)
March 31 - Bow Wow “New Jack City 2″ (Columbia)
March 31 – Donnie Ray “Caught By the Cat” (Ecko)
March 31 – Norman Connors “Star Power” (Shanachie)
March 31 – Dipset’s JR Writer “Cinecrack” (Babygrande)
April 2009 - Y oYo “My Journey to Fearless: The Black Butterfly”
April 2009 – Chanj “Love Message” (Alistair Records)
April 2009 – Bishop David G. Evans “Presents Automatic Praise Live” (Abundant Harvest)
April 2009 – Scratch “Loss 4 Wordz” (Gold Dust)
April 1 - LMFAO “Party Rock” (Party Rock/Interscope)
April 1 – UGK f/Pimp C “4 Life” (Zomba Label Group)
April 7 - G.I. “God’s Image” (BGA/Blacksmoke/Worldwide)
April 7 - Smokie Norful “Smokie Norful Live” (EMI Gospel)
April 7 – Sharam “Get Wild” (Ultra Records)
April 7 – Ray Charles “Ray Charles: Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection” (Concord Records)
April 7 - Lady Sovereign “Jigsaw” (Midget)
April 7 - Mims “Guilt” (American King/Capitol)
April 7 - Mike Epps “Funny Bidness” DVD (E1)
April 7 – Angel Taylor “Love Travels? (Aware/Columbia)
April 7 - Flo Rida “R.O.O.T.S.” (Poe Boy/Atlantic)
April 7 – Jadakiss “The Last Kiss” (Roc-a-fella/DefJam)
April 7 - Paul Brown & Marc Antoine “Foreign Exchange” (Peak)
April 14 – Tony Bennett/Bill Evans “The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings” 2-CD set (Concord Records)
April 14 – J. Wells “Digital Masters Vol. 2.2” (Bonzi Records/Fontana/Universal)
April 14 - Pastor Troy “Feel Me or Kill Me” (SMC Recordings)
April 14 - Janelle Monae TBA (Bad Boy)
April 14 – Rick James “Anthology” reissue (Hip-O/Ume)
April 14 – Day 26 “Forever In A Day” (Bad Boy/Atlantic)
April 21 – Bo Benton “Queen of the Night” (GoldStarr/Fontana/Universal)
April 21 – Allen Toussaint “The Bright Mississippi”
April 21 - Asher Roth “Asleep In The Bread Aisle” (Universal Motown)
April 21 – Oleta Adams “Let’s Stay Here” (E1 Music)
April 21 – Rick Ross “Deeper Than Rap” (Maybach Music/SlipNSlide/DefJam)
April 21 - Mike Jones “The Voice” (Ice Age/Asylum)
April 21 – Guru “Guru 8.0 Lost & Found” (7 Grand Records)
April 21 – Dose “Overdose” (Liquidwet Entertainment)
April 28 - Lisa McClendon “Reality” (BluSoul Entertainment)
April 28 - Playing For Change “Songs Around The World” (Hear)
April 28 – Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse “Cries From Tha Ghetto (Pi Recordings)
April 28 – Shiest Bubz “The International Bud Dealer” Purple City/Babygrande)
April 28 - J-Money “My Life Check Me Out” (35*35 Entertainment/Fontana/Universal)
May 2009 - Sean Kingston “Tomorrow” (Epic)
May 2009 - 50 Cent “Before I Self Destruct” (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)
May 2009 - Yung LA “Futuristic Leland” (Grand Hustle/Interscope)
May 5 - Cedric Ford & Heart of Worship “Created 2 Worship” (Tyscot Records)
May 5 - Cassie TBA (Bad Boy/Atlantic)
May 5 – Joe Lovano Us Five “Folk Art” (Blue Note)
May 5 – Big Pooh “Delightful Bars” (2 incarnations: Candy Apple–iTunes, North American Pie—retail)
May 5 - Madcon TBA (Universal Republic)
May 5 - Pleasure P TBA (Atlantic)
May 5 – Terri Lyne Carrington “More To Say…(Real Life Story: Next Generation)” (E1 Music)
May 5 - Cam’Ron “Crime Pays” (Diplomats/Asylum)
May 5 - Ciara “Fantasy Ride” (LaFace/Jive)
May 12 – Charnett Moffett The Art of Improvisation: A Manifesto for Three Basses (Motema Music)
May 12 – Paul Wall “Fast Life” (Asylum/WBR)
May 12 - Melanie Fiona “The Bridge” (SRC/Universal Motown)
May 17 – Ruben Studdard “Love Is” (HickoryRecords/19/Sony/ATV)
May 18 – Eminem “Relapse” (Interscope)
May 19 - Claude Deuce “Young Elder” (A. Williams Entertainment)
May 19 - CoCo McMillian “I’ve Been Delivered” (T Records)
May 19 - Maino “If Tomorrow Comes” (HustleHardEntertainment/Atlantic)
May 19 – Chrisette Michele “Epiphany” (DefJam)
May 19 - Busta Rhymes “Back On My B.S.” (Universal Motown)
May 19 - Drama TBA (Atlantic)
May 19 - Fat Joe “J.O.S.E. 2″ (Terror Squad/Capitol)
May 19 - LaKisha Jones “So Glad I’m Me” (Elite)
May 19 - Letoya Luckett “Lady Love” (Capitol)
May 19 – Lakisha Jones “So Glad I’m Me” (Elite Music LLC)
May 26 – Al B. Sure “Honey I’m Home” (Hidden Beach/Universal)
May 26 - Herb Alpert/Lani Hall “Anything Goes” (Concord Jazz)
May 26 – Gary Burton f/Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Antonio Sanchez “Quartet Live!” (Concord Jazz)
May 29 – Mike Epps “Great Eppspectations” (E1)
June 2009 - Laura Izibor “Let the Truth Be Told” (Atlantic)
June 2009 – Swazy Styles “Hustle Life” (Hustle Life Ent)
June 2009 – Damiam Marley and Nas TBA (Universal/Republic)
June 2009 – Cormega “Born & Raised” (Legal Hustle Records)
June 2 - Chico Debarge “Addiction” (Kedar)
June 2 - Young Steff “Jump It Off” (Richcraft/Atlantic)
June 2 - Ginuwine TBD (Notifi/Kedar/Asylum/Warner Bros.)
June 2 - Vanessa Williams “The Real Thing” (Concord)
June 9 – Coko Clemons “TBA” (Light Records)
June 9 – Lil Wayne “Rebirth” (CashMoney/Universal)
June 9 – Teena Marie “Congo Square” (Stax/Concord)
June 9 - 4-4 Water “On Top Of My Game” (Jake)
June 9 – Black-Eyed Peas “The E.N.D.” (Interscope)
June 16 - Twista “Category F5″ (Get Money Gang/EMI)
June 16 - Will Downing TBD (Peak)
June 23 – Grand Puba “Retroactive” (Babygrande Records)
June 23 - Isaac Hayes “Hot Buttered Soul” Deluxe (Stax/Concord)
June 30 - Joe “Signature” (Kedar)
June 30 - Novel “The Audiobiography” (Capitol)
June 30 – Mos Def “The Ecstatic” (RCRD LBL/DowntownRecords)
July 14 - Yung Joc TBA (Bad Boy/Atlantic)
Aug. 25 - All 4 One “No Regrets” (Peak)
Aug. 25 - N’Dambi “Pink Elephant” (Stax/Concord)
Sept. 2009 - Sade TBA (Epic)
Sept. 22 – P. Diddy “Last Train To Paris” (Bad Boy/Atlantic)
ON TAP for 2009
2009 – Albe Back “Hi” (AlbeMusic)
2009 - Amy Winehouse TBA (Universal Republic)
2009 – Bone Thugz N Harmony “Uni-5)
2009 - Chamillionaire “Venom” (Universal Republic)
2009 - Chris J “Secrets” (Big Gates)
2009 - Christina Aguilera TBA (RCA)
2009 - Clipse “Till The Casket Drops” (Columbia)
2009 - Damian Marley TBA (Universal Republic)
2009 - D’Angelo “James River” (J)
2009 - Fabolous TBA (Def Jam)
2009 - Jay-Z TBA (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
2009 - Josh X-AN-TUS “Can I Live” (M/USA Entertainment)
2009 – Lee Carr “Lee Carr” (Zomba Label Group)
2009 - Lil Jon TBA (Universal Republic)
2009 - Ludacris and Shawnna “Battle Of The Sexes” (DTP/Def Jam)
2009 - Michael Baisden “B-Sides Compilation” (Kedar)
2009 - Missy Elliott “Block Party” (Goldmind/Atlantic)
2009 - OneRepublic TBA (Mosley Music/Interscope)
2009 - Playaz Circle “Flight 360: The Takeoff” (DTP/Def Jam)
2009 - R. Kelly TBA (Jive)
2009 - Robert Randolph TBA (Warner Bros.)
2009 - Ron Browz “Etherboy” (Universal Motown)
2009 - Shareefa “The Secret” (DTP/Def Jam)
2009 – Snoop Dogg “Malice In Wonderland”
2009 - Teyana Taylor “From A Planet Called Harlem” (Interscope)
2009 - Wale TBA (Interscope)
2009 - Willy Northpole “Tha Connect” (DTP/Def Jam)
2009- Dr. Dre “Detox” (Aftermath/Interscope)
2009- Whitney Houston TBA (Arista)
2009 - Kenna “Songs For Flight” (StarTrak/Interscope)
