Betty Black to release EP in June

Musical chameleons like SYLVIA GORDON do not come along every day. The multi-talented singer, songwriter, musician and artist (who has worked with BLACK EYED PEAS, MOBY and SPANK ROCK) boldly dons multiple personas as an outlet for her restless, adventurous spirit. She embraces and explores several muses by way of her various musical projects including ART WORLD KILLER (formerly known as KUDU), BETTY BLACK, SYLVIA BLACKand VIVIAN ALIVE!.

In June, she unveils Slow Dance, the long-awaited debut EP from her mesmerizing BETTY BLACK project via Frau Pink Productions/KID Recordings. A second EP is scheduled for release later this summer; more details to follow.

The first in a trilogy of thematic releases about the blossoming of young girls into womanhood (from blissful naiveté and longing to the harrowing pangs of self discovery, maturity and independence), Slow Dance finds Sylvia summoning a rapturous collection of unflinchingly heartfelt torch songs and over a hazy pastel backdrop sunbathed in black. Enchanting, languid melodies and soothing strings prove to be the perfect partner-in-crime for this southern-steeped storytelling anchored with smoldering, lilting vocals and slow-burning musical landscapes heavily inspired by early 60's girl groups (The Shirelles, The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las), Nashville country, Memphis blues and Phil Spector’s cacophonous “wall of sound”.

“For this first EP, I used my younger sisters as inspiration at a time when they were just out of high school and excitedly dreaming of life beyond the home they knew”, she explains. “I framed it using musical elements from the late 50's and early 60's as the backdrop for this project since people tend to look back fondly on this period in the U.S. as a time of simple innocence. But much like a good David Lynch film, I wanted to use that illusion of innocence to uncover its darker undercurrents… which will further reveal themselves in future Betty Black EPs to come."

The heat-you-up-melt-you-down sensibility and sultry sensuality that permeates throughout the EP reflects a sense of romanticism, innocence and nostalgia. Gordon’s intuitive ability to craft vivid, melodic tales of love, loss and longing (with equal parts smoke and bite) has made her an in-demand songwriter and collaborator, having worked with WILLIAM ORBIT, KELIS, BENNY BENASSI, TELEPOPMUSIK and N-DUBZ.

And then there are her co-writing credits on the BLACK EYED PEAS’ “Meet Me Halfway” and “The Best One Yet (The Boy).” The four-million-selling “Meet Me Halfway” was the third Top 10 single from the Peas’ multi-platinum, Grammy-winning fifth album, The E.N.D, while “The Best One Yet” is featured on the hip-pop act’s sixth studio album, the multi-million-selling The Beginning. Gordon recently won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for the melancholic and rhythmic “Meet Me Halfway” – one of the most performed pop music song of 2010.

To get acquainted with her treasure box of inspired wanderlust, sit back and revel in the unraveling beauty of BETTY BLACK and her Slow Dance EP. Gorgeousness like this does not come along every day.

BETTY BLACK SLOW DANCE EP WILL BE RELEASED JUNE 28TH
ON FRAU PINK PRODUCTIONS/KID RECORDINGS

www.sylviablack.net
www.bettyblack.bandcamp.com
www.kidoutsider.com