It was in July that we reported on an upcoming, important release from RED HOT RECORDS. It seems the parent Red Hot organization has been in business for 30 years supporting all kinds of humanitarian charities and the team is marking the 30th anniversary with a joyful double-volume dance compilation, ‘Red Hot + Free.’ And that compilation is the source of the label’s current, red hot (sorry!) single – ‘U Try Livin’ (Pressure)’credited to BLACK GUY WHITE GUY vs. 808 BEACH.
That artist tag is shorthand for a soul/dance “supergroup” – the UK’s Kwame Kwaten (D-Influence, Laura Mvula) and Gil Cang alongside New Yorker Bill Coleman (Deee-Lite, Lenny Kravitz) and John “J-C” Carr . The vocalists on the cut are Anelisa Lamola, Audrey Wheeler, Cindy Mizelle, Keith Fluitt and Elisabeth Troy and between them they bring just the right amount of uplifting gospel urgency and swagger that the lyrics demand… “All I see is battlefields pushing people to their knees. More to life than struggling. I need to dance, I need relief. Ain’t no joke when you ain’t got no money. U Try Livin’ when there’s no milk and honey. Life ain’t funny, baby…just wanna be FREE!”
The tune is good to go now and (as you expect) it comes in a plethora of mixes including one from maestro Eric Kupper and an intriguing “Afro” mix.
Bill Coleman is the brains behind the compilation and the single and its various mixes. He says: “This timely and anthemic ‘U Try Livin’’ is about lifting spirits and feeding your soul. After an extended period of isolation — whether physical, spiritual or mental, “U Try Livin’ (Pressure)”and the 2-disc Red Hot + Free is designed to liberate your mind and body in whatever space that you are — or find yourself in”. He encourages us to “drop the needle, let go and play LOUD.” And why not?
