Blu Cantrell 'Bitter Sweet' album

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and no one knows that better than sexy R&B siren Blu Cantrell. The multi-talented vocal powerhouse put cheating men on notice last spring with a smash hit single, the swing-flavored scorcher " Hit ?Em Up Style (Oops!)," which vaulted to the top spot on SoundScan's single sales chart and spent multiple weeks at #2 on Billboard's all-important pop singles chart.

The huge hit track was a perfect prelude to her 2001 Arista debut SO BLU, which landed impressively in the upper reaches of Billboard's top albums chart. "[Cantrell's] throaty alto, which sounds like it was born in a smoky blues club, has already earned comparisons to modern R&B singers like Erykah Badu and veteran sirens like Sarah Vaughan and Abbey Lincoln," raved Interview magazine of the powerful debut. Where SO BLU delivered a bracing jolt of tough love and hope regarding male/female relationships, Cantrell is poised to take her game to the next level with her sophomore effort BITTERSWEET.

"The new album is another chapter of my life. I'm getting a little further from the pain and closer to real love" explains the 27-year-old Providence, Rhode Island, native. "That's why the album is called BITTERSWEET; I'm still bitter about some past relationships, but I've also experienced the sweetness of love." One part tear-stained diary and one part survival guide, the Grammy- and American Music Award-nominated chanteuse's BITTERSWEET is just what the good love doctor ordered?a melodic prescription for coping with love gone awry or inspiration to send your lover packing on a permanent holiday. Whether she's sharing a personal tale of heartbreak on the nostalgic, pain-soaked "Sleep In The Middle," or laying down a swinging beat with that special someone on "Happily Ever After," Cantrell is determined to tell it like it is. Other album highlights include the driving, no-nonsense "I Did That" and the inherently sentimental "Unhappy."

"You have to stay true to yourself," she adds. "Singing about relationships is almost like therapy for me. It helps me to stay focused and not allow outside influences to make me lose sight of what I'm trying to do."

The highly anticipated new album ? which features the groundbreaking handiwork of some of urban music's most relevant producers (Tricky Stewart, Shep Crawford, Mike City, Soulshock & Karlin, Ivan Matias) ? also includes guest performances from hip-hop superstar Missy Elliott, sizzling dancehall star Sean Paul, female rapper Lady May and Ian Lewis from the legendary reggae quintet Inner Circle. BITTERSWEET is as stylistically varied as the artist herself: Blu brings fans face-to-face with the reality that sometimes we must "Breathe," allowing troublesome relationships the time they need to heal. "That song is a snapshot of a recent relationship," she reveals. "Sometimes you just have to step back and give each other space." She also offers that "Holding On To Love" can be your saving grace if the time and circumstances are right.

Blessed with vocal chops that equally express both power and passion, insightful songwriting skills and an unparalleled passion for her craft, it's no wonder that fans and critics alike have fallen head over heels for R&B's newest diva-in-training. Blu's whirlwind ascension in the music game reads like a fairytale: Discovered in the lobby of an Atlanta hotel by an associate of RedZone Entertainment head C. "Tricky" Stewart in 2000, and signed by Arista Records president/CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid mere months later, Blu's introduction to the music biz was destined to be.

"Tricky called L.A. [Reid] and told him that he had something for him to hear," says Blu, excitedly recalling the encounter that changed her life. "Three days later L.A. came down to Atlanta from New York City with his entire A&R [artists & repertoire] staff to meet me. We all went into this tiny studio and he asked me to sing "Til' I'm Gone," a song that I had recorded with Tricky, on the spot and acapella. Something just took me over. I had my foot up off the floor like I was in church and I just started singing and pointing at him. At the end of my performance L.A. asked me to sign, and I've been at Arista ever since."

"I knew the first time I heard Blu sing that she was special," remembers Arista President/CEO Reid. "It's incredible to see her growth as an artist from SO BLU to BITTERSWEET. She's definitely revealing more of her inner talent and artistry this time around."

Now that Blu, daughter of a former jazz singer, has made that God-given talent known to the world, she's determined to take her already accomplished career to the next level. Blu co-wrote four songs on BITTERSWEET, including Caribbean-tinged "Make Me Wanna Scream," the straight-ahead directive "Let Her Go" and the euphoric "Holding On To Love." She is confident her new project will give fans a deeper understanding as to why her keep-it-real brand of soulful poetry is essential.

"I tell the truth about love. While I don't sugar-coat things, I'm also known for my sense of humor," concludes the creative spirit. "Through my music, I bring a sense of light to dark subjects, especially in relationships. This album could have been a bunch of dark, vindictive songs. Instead, I wanted to give you real emotions with a sense of fun. I hope the fans enjoy the aural experience as much as I enjoyed creating it."

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Blu Cantrell - Bitter Sweet