Artist description On the edge of Nu Soul.This innovative Funk electro vibe, grooves & moves your mind somewhere new. Experience the powerful, sensual vocals from this beautiful poet.

Music Style Acid Jazz/Neo soul

Musical Influences Rufus, Leonard Cohen, Billie Holiday, Aretha, Beatles

Similar Artists India Arie, Nikka Costa, Jill Scott, Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keys

Artist History Meet the future of Nu Soul. It is vocalist/songwriter Patricia Maertens’ mix of the raw emotion of Nikka Costa, the sophisticated grooves of Jill Scott and the experimental funk of Nelly Furtado. It’s powerful, feisty and goes beyond your parent's soul records. Inspired by her unique upbringing, Patricia ventured toward a new direction in Soul. Born in Hollywood and raised in the inner city of Inglewood, she spent her first 12 years listening to her 1580 KDAY heroes Rufus, Rose Royce and Rick James. Weekends meant listening to conga rhythms floating out of Centinela Park. But her teenage years, spent in the sleepy beach town of Palos Verdes, left her searching for new music. She found it in the wild sound of Hollywood’s underground clubs and the brutal poetry of 70's icon Patti Smith and the punk/reggae fusion of The Clash. Spending summers in the rainforests of El Salvador (home of her mother) and a few cold winters in her father's homeland of Germany also filled her ears with international sounds adding to Patricia's growing musical palette. Seeing life and the world from very different places gave Patricia a point of view few others share. From her cheerleading days in Inglewood to experimental bands in high school and a recent Jazz quartet in LA, she expresses all she has seen and heard through her original words, rhythms and voice. Patricia produced her most recent songs with different people including the up and coming film composer Shawn Patterson whose credits include scoring for the hit animation series "Ren & Stimpy" & also Singer/songwriter/guitarist Dustin Boyer who has been in & out of the studio with Darryl Swan, Macy Gray & many other great new artists. However, Patricia remains her own woman. She wrote the music and lyrics to the songs as well as acting as president of her indie label Lothario Records. "This is music without compromise," says Patricia. Welcome to the future of Nu Soul.

Group Members Words & Music: Patricia Maertens Produced by: Patricia Maertens & Shawn Patterson Patricia Maertens: vocals, keybords, programming Shawn Patterson: guitars, keyboards, drums, programming Additional Musicians :Rob McDonald 5 string bass, acoustic bass Greg Brown: drums

Press Reviews Tim Schweitzer/Program Manager/Netradio.com Patricia's sound is refreshing to hear....soulful, funky, tight yet loose with a touch of grit and sadness. A very confident voice! Karen Kosowski/ President /EstrogenMusic.com Patricia Maertens blends funky infectious beats with a melodic jazz vocal sensibility and great lyrics.... it's enough to make even the squarest soul get up and dance! Not only is she a great artist but she is a generous soul dedicated to improving the independent community. Jack "Papa" Baer/ Big Baer Urban Alternative Music Magazine/ BigBaer.com Extremely cutting edge...and so very appropriate! This music, is what the industry and the public needs. Creativity, intelligence, and uninhibited soul. Very raw... Andy Asch/RollingStone.com & LA Weekly Singer songwriter usually means a songwriter who can't sing. But Patricia Maertens has a strong, jazzy voice that adds power to her kinetic tunes. Finally, a singer songwriter who can do both ! �2001 Intergrated Arts Radio /David M. Boosamra /Music Programme The vocal tenacity of Patricia is supreme. The heartfelt emotion pours forth from her tiny frame, as she suddenly becomes larger than life. The perfect performer, she bounces from instrument to instrument in search of pulling your heartstrings even tighter with her arsenal. We with heavy heart might be overwhelmed. But we with full heart find this Nelly Furtado; beat street jazz peppered with burning flakes of Fiona Apple in her more outrageous form, which is constant. We secure the belief that Miss Pat�, or Patricia, or whatever you want to call her (demon – foul temptress – angel – spire of hope?) may have a bit more “class” than Fiona, though Fifi is known to be original in her rants. Richard James Simpson/Cahners Publications In the vein of "Tell me something good" ala Rufus and Chaka Khan, Patricia Maertens strikes a penetrating chord with velvety vocal stylings and old-school sensibility songwriting. The three-song CD is the debut release on Maertens' Lothario Records. The tracks are blistering funk-ballad elegies to wrong-turn relationships and self-discovery. Maertens' range of vocal prowess comes in loud and clear throughout the collection. Godspeed PM.

Location Los Angeles, California - USA

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