|  Already
hailed as a “potent new voice in contemporary R&B music”,
the debut CD release from Michael Ashanti, entitled 'All Of Me',
delivers a refreshing array of soulful arrangements that showcase
smooth yet stimulating vocals over a cross-hybrid of music rooted
in R&B and Soul with a commercial appeal. Michael’s style
of music has been appropriately branded as soul fusion to signify
the core presence of soul and gospel-influenced vocals that effortlessly
soar over lush backdrops of R&B, house, dancehall/reggaeton,
jazz, gospel and pop.
His mastery
for meshing across genre lines is best heard in his dancehall/reggaeton
cover version of the hit R&B ballad “With You I’m
Born Again/Contigo Yo Naci” as well as the club-stomping dance
single “Hold On”. On “With You I’m Born
Again/Contigo Yo Naci”, Michael blends soulful vocals with
a bilingual rap performance and then cradles these elements in the
arms of a dancehall groove laced with Latin-styled percussion. A
true re-birth, of sorts, is achieved for the 1980 chart-topping
classic originally made popular by Syreeta and, the recently deceased,
Billy Preston (written by David Shire and Carol Connors). In “Hold
On”, Michael proves that real dance music lovers are thirsty
for both a beat and a message. In this high-energy track, Michael
sings of hope and perseverance over a foundation of house music
that fuses traces of tribal, electronic, and gospel that give club-goers
yet another reason to stay on the dance floor.
 Michael
Ashanti’s diversity as an artist reflects the diversity of
his personal life. Michael is a New York native born to parents
of Jamaican heritage. Right before the age of 7, Michael’s
father enlisted in the military. This afforded his family the experience
of living in North America, Central America, Europe, and Hawaii.
On his own, Michael has traveled to 4 continents learning 3 other
languages. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the prestigious
and historically black university of Florida A&M University
(FAMU) and a MBA degree from Pennsylvania State University (PSU).
Michael drew
upon all of his influences and experiences to bring about the creation
of his debut release 'All Of Me'. Through the independent imprint
of Ambassador Music, All Of Me is now available for purchase. Tracks
from the CD are currently being featured and added to the playlists
of various radio formats around the world.
In the true
form of an ambassador, Michael has already begun to showcase music
from 'All Of Me' throughout North America and is currently adding
other dates internationally to further promote his debut release.
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