SONG OF THE DAY

“Hopeless” by Dionne Farris (Love Jones: The Music soundtrack, Sony Records, 1997). Written by Van Hunt.

WHERE I HEARD IT

While I was on Dave Koz’s youtube page looking for my video for my “Start All Over Over” blog post from last week I found this recommended to me in the right video margin list, and clicked to check it out! I guess I have good instincts, because the song was completely awesome! A find! I can’t take all of the credit for randomly finding the song though because I love Dionne Farris’ 1990’s classic hit “I Know” (and in fact blogged about it last year) so no doubt putting faith in something she’s touched is a solid bet!

Oh, and here’s a great interview with her from 2009!

INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)

– Randy “The Emperor” Jackson (a.k.a. the “dawg” American Idol judge) is a Producer for the soundtrack and is also featured in the video below! Wyclef Jean, Pras, Cassandra Wilson and Lauryn Hill are listed as other producers as well.

– The soundtrack made it to #16 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and #3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

– Dionne Farris is an American female R&B/soul musician who sang on three songs with the hip hop group Arrested Development.

– In 1995, she had a solo hit single called “I Know”, which hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1996.

– She also sang the closing song “For Once In My Life” in the 1996 film, The Truth About Cats & Dogs.

– Farris has released a album entitled Signs of Life on her own record label, Free & Clear. Her 2007 release For Truth If Not Love was issued on iTunes.

– Van Hunt is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.

– In Atlanta in the 1990s, he started producing a few hip-hop demos for Atlanta rappers in order to pay bills. Hunt met up-and-coming record producers and artists like Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and TLC through his work on demos.

– Hunt wrote and co-produced the song “Hopeless” for singer Dionne Farris, formerly of Arrested Development, and joined her band on guitar and keyboards.

– Through Dionne Farris, Hunt met A&R person Randy Jackson (who later went on to be a judge on Fox’s American Idol). Jackson would become Hunt’s manager in 2002.

– Hunt has toured and appeared with Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Boney James, The Roots, Seal, Angie Stone, Coldplay, The Brand New Heavies, the Dave Matthews Band, and Kanye West.

– In 2007, Hunt won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, along with John Legend and Joss Stone, for their cover of the Sly & the Family Stone song, “Family Affair”, which appeared on the 2006 tribute album Different Strokes By Different Folks.

– Hunt described winning the award as “one of the bigger pleasures I’ve had” to The Athens Blur Magazine in 2009.

– Hunt lists his influences (on wikipedia) as (mine are in green):
David Bowie
Serge Gainsbourg
The Isley Brothers
Curtis Mayfield
Thelonious Monk
The Ohio Players
Iggy Pop
Prince
Richard Pryor
Sly Stone
Neil Young

VIDEO OF THE DAY