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Gifted singer/songwriter Val Watson is a beautiful songbird with a distinct melody that is both edgily contemporary and reverently retro. Her debut album, "Urbal" is a tasty melange of personality, humor, sensitivity--and oh yes, the Bomb, the Uncut Funk. As the title "Urbal" suggests, Val's soprano laces tracks that range from smooth urban polyrhythmics to poetic alternafunk to classic R&B to deep nasty grooves. With all but five of the tunes co-penned by Val herself, this collection presents a journey through the various facets of this complex lady's artistic wellspring. "'Urbal' is like that earthy, herbal, down-to-earth type of thing with a little edge to it," explains Val, who was raised in the San Francisco Bay area and cites a broad range of musical influences: Sarah Vaughn, Patrice Rushen, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Deniece Williams, the Ohio Players, and James Brown, to name a few. "I write songs about relationships, about love, about life. I like writing songs about overcoming obstacles." Val's funk roots go deep as well, a style she plays with on the thumpasaurus-grooved first single, "The Real ... (Do-Do)," which features P-Funk All Star Bootsy Collins and Con Funk Shun frontman Michael Cooper. "I also love what the male groups did vocally, their arrangements, like the Ohio Players, James Brown and Cameo, who are one of my favorites," Val says. "That's why I did a Cameo-type B-section on the single, because I just like the way they arranged vocals." This multi-faceted artist is no newcomer to the game. Val's spicy vocal licks were first heard when she served as the female vocalist for Club Nouveau with producer Jay King, singer Samuelle, and writer/producers Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy (who later produced En Vogue)--all when she was still attending prestigious Stanford University. After writing for and recording three albums with that West Coast neofunk outfit, the group was dropped and Val moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, where she continued to create new music, sing backup, and look for new opportunities. By chance she met visionary music producer Gerald McCauley, who has worked with the likes of George Benson, Chante Moore, Bobby Lyle and many others. McCauley hired Val for various projects doing session work and recording demos. After noting her professionalism, versatility and lyrical prowess, he immediately committed to crafting her solo project with her. "Gerald heard some songs I had written", Val muses, "and he said, 'I wanna do some do-do on you.' I was like alright (I had heard that one before.) But every so often he'd say, 'I'm going to do a record on you.' All the while we were still working on different projects here and there. Then one day he was like, 'Let's start your album'", Val remembers with a laugh. "Though I had some older songs that we could have used, we approached it as a brand new project. We did it straight off inspiration." Their inspiration has produced this "Urbal" excursion into varied musical landscapes, aided by a number of genre giants. The multi-tracked a cappella album opener, "V-Bop," is a tribute to bebop-style vocalese that may remind some of the work of Take 6, but Val takes center stage with an engaging statement of who she is. After a gorgeous orchestral introduction Val gives a distinctive, personal rendition of the inspirational "Black Butterfly," the Deniece Williams tune. "Deniece Williams was another one of my favorite singers and when I was a teenager I used to play this song over and over. So when Gerald suggested it, I said, 'That's perfect,'" Val says. The vibe turns jazzy and contemplative with a spoken word interlude before seguing into the acid jazzalicious "Pass The Vibe," and then the buoyant groove "High (It's My State Of Mind)," featuring Ohio Players frontman Sugar Foot on rhythm guitar, where Val's voice caresses the beats while the band feels some old-school "Pain." Building a true avatar of motor-booty madness is "Do What Come Funky" featuring P-Funk Emperor George Clinton, and the aforementioned "The Real ... (Do-Do)." But there's even more: The in-pocket hip-hop bounce "Caught Up," featuring artist/co-writer Davina, where the ladies explain, "I love you but you can't keep treating me this way--I don't wanna stay bogged down in something that's not going to work," Val explains. One of her idols, Patrice Rushen, guests on "Alright," while Loose Ends' Jane Eugene lends supporting vocals to the relationship tale "Whether U Know It". Conga-driven progressive groove "Earth Wind & Fire" lyrically pays tribute to the groundbreaking R&B group while forging a unique tune and uplifting message; the gorgeous "Flower" finds Val's multi-textured soprano flowing over a classic slow fusion groove with positivity. Guitarist extraordinaire George Benson contributes his signature sound to the spoken word "In The Park" prelude to Val's swinging "Days Like This" (co-written by Stevie Wonder); and vocalist Howard Hewett intertwines his voice with Val's on the fingersnapping, meditative ballad "I Wanna Change The World." With such a special brew blending so many notables, "Urbal" is positioned to soothe whatever ails you. Mined from Val Watson's imagination, the album "is definitely a dream debut," she breathes, acknowledging the thrill of performing and recording with so many established, respected musicians. "If I didn't sell one record, it's worth it to have been able to work with all these wonderful people," she says. And as the lady funkster finishes "Urbal" with her Urbalites Tribute, one can truly sense her reverence for these renegades of funk and soul. She writes: "I could go on and on and on and on and on With this Urbalites tribute to the players of the funk, Dedicated to keeping it live, Go'n sho' nuff keep it real; The kind of funk that you can feel." And that's "Urbal", ya'll! Ya know? Check out the artist's website: http://valwatson.com Track List: 1. V-Bop 2. Butterfly Wings (A Classic Thang - Prelude) 3. Black Butterfly 4. Poet's Corner (prelude) 5. Ain't I A Woman 6. Pass The Vibe 7. High (It's My State of Mind) 8. Do What come Funky 9. That's Funked Up (Segue) 10. The Real (do-do) 11. Caught Up 12. Whether U Know It 13. Alright 14. Earth, Wind & Fire 15. Flower 16. In the Park (Interlude) 17. Days Like This 18. I Wanna Change the World 19. That's Funked Up (Reprise) 20. V-Boppers & FingerPoppers Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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