Soul/funk connoisseurs the Brand New Heavies are reuniting with lead singer N’Dea Davenport and former label Delicious Vinyl, Billboard has learned. A new album, “Get Used to It,” will be released June 27 through Starbucks and traditional music retail outlets.
The album was recorded in New York and London; a lead single will drop the first week of May. Following the album’s release, look for the Brand New Heavies to roll out a 25-city nationwide tour in July and August.
It has been 15 years since the band first invaded the United States with its energetic brand of live R&B/soul and funk. The self-titled debut album — powered by guitarist Simon Bartholomew, drummer/keyboardist Jan Kinkaid, bassist Andrew Love Levy and Davenport — sparked a No. 3 R&B hit in 1991 with “Never Stop.” Subsequent U.S.-issued singles “Stay This Way” (1991), “Dream on Dreamer” (1994) and “Sometimes” (1997) notched top 20 status.
So nearly 10 years later, can the group re-engage stateside attention?
Delicious Vinyl co-founder Michael Ross believes that is a moot point. “They have a definitive sound, a creative dynamic that’s timeless and universal,” he says. “As far as their music hitting and connecting? No question.”
