05 November 2008
Newsdesk
Marking a new chapter in his music career, Lemar, is set to release his fourth studio album The Reason and the lead single If She Knew this November and also announces a massive UK Tour in March and April 2009.
Almost 5 years ago, Lemar released his debut album Dedicated, ushering in a new exciting juncture in UK soul music. Since then, Lemar has become the most successful black British soul artist of our time, commandeering the UK’s radio airwaves with the hit singles 50/50, Dance (With U), If There’s Any Justice and Its Not That Easy. With 3 top ten UK albums, Lemar has sold well over 2 million albums, and most notably been awarded 2 MOBO Awards and 2 BRIT Awards.
Lemar’s latest musical offering The Reason, is set to capture an even wider audience, and keep him on the path as one of Britain’s leading solo artists. He spent the last two years crafting his new LP, recording in Los Angeles, Miami and Sweden. Showcasing his production and writing talent, the new album signals a new direction in Lemar’s musical sound. Defining this new musical backdrop are the producers: Jim Johnson (Lil Wayne), Jack Splash (Alicia Keys, Cee-Lo) and Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Nas, Fugees).
On the recording process, Lemar says “I didn’t go into the studio with an agenda; I tried to remind myself of the reasons why I do music, the reasons why I wanted to be an artist in the first place and the reasons behind life.'
Yet the collection of 10 songs remains gloriously synonymous with Lemar’s vocal style. The first single, If She Knew, co-produced by SoulShock and Karlin combines Lemar’s heartfelt lyrics with layers of acoustic guitar. Lemar’s signature balladry features on the album too, including the piano driven Mayday. He also, ventures back to his soul roots with the infectious Over You and the up tempo feel good track Heartbreaker produced by Jim Beanz (Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado) and Weight Of The World produced by Jim Johnson (Lil Wayne)
Having already established a repertoire, based on his incredible vocals, and fine songwriting, The Reason, captures an artist ready to take his place amongst classic soul singers in a cutting edge modern Pop / R&B setting. The Reason will be released through Epic Records on the 24th November 2008.
Tracklisting:
1 - The Reason
2 - Weight Of The World
3 - Lil’ Miss Heartbreaker
4 - If She Knew
5 - Trust Me
6 - Over You
7 - Mayday
8 - Wait Forever
9 - Not What You Say
10 - Black Tide
To catch Lemar Live he will be appearing at the following;
March 2009
Monday 16 Carlisle Sands Centre 01228 625 222
Tuesday 17 Liverpool Philharmonic 0151 709 3789
Thursday 19 Reading Hexagon 0118 960 6060
Saturday 21 Bournemouth BIC (Windsor Hall) 0844 576 3000
Monday 23 Brentwood Leisure Centre 01277 262616
Tuesday 24 Ipswich Regent 01473 433100
Wednesday 25 Preston Guildhall 01772 258858
Friday 27 Birmingham NIA 0844 3388 000
Saturday 28 Brighton Centre 0844 847 1515
Sunday 29 Oxford New Theatre 0844 847 1585
Tuesday 31 Plymouth Pavilions 0845 146 1460
April 2009
Wednesday 1 Swindon Oasis 01793 445 401
Saturday 4 Cardiff Arena 029 2022 4488
Sunday 5 Portsmouth Guildhall 023 9282 4355
Monday 6 Cambridge Corn Exchange 01223 357851
Wednesday 8 Southend Cliffs Pavilion 01702 351135
Thursday 9 London Royal Albert Hall 020 7589 8212
Friday 10 Nottingham Royal Centre 0115 989 5555
Sunday 12 Newcastle City Hall 0191 261 2606
Monday 13 Sheffield City Hall 0114 278 9789
Tuesday 14 Harrogate Intl Centre 0845 130 8840
Thursday 16 Glasgow Clyde Auditorium 0844 4999 990
Friday 17 Manchester Apollo 0844 477 7677
Tickets are £25 regional and £32.50, £30, £27.50, £25, £20 London and go on general sale Friday 7th November @ 9am
Tickets are available below.
