Fans of contemporary R&B will need to know that acclaimed US artist RYAN LESLIE (above) has just released what is in effect his “comeback” album. Leslie, A Harvard graduate at the age of 19, (abobve)went into the music industry right away and quickly achieved success. He’s worked on records for the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West, Mary J Blige, Fabolous, Ne-Yo, Britney Spears, Craig David and Chris Brown. Leslie also “discovered” Cassie, whom he signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records in 2005, going on to write, produce, and release Cassie’s debut album and hit single ‘Me&U’, which reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Leslie released his own self-titled album on Motown Records in 2008, which spawned the hits ‘Diamond Girl’, ‘Addiction’ featuring Fabolous & Cassie, and ‘How It Was Supposed To Be’. He quickly followed up with a Grammy-nominated album ‘Transition’ in 2010 and the independently-released third album, ‘Les Is More’ in 2012. His fourth album ‘Black Mozart’ was released in 2013.
Now over a decade later his new LP is with us – ‘You Know My Speed’. The album’s focus track is ‘This Love Thing’, a cut driven by the sparse production that has always been his signature. Other tracks winning attention from the R&B crowd are ‘Put It In The Air’, the uplifting title track ‘You Know My Speed’ and ‘Sounds’ featuring R&B vocalist Bobby V.
Ryan says: “This album is a collection of recordings that represent the essence of a decade of experiences accumulated while travelling, building a technology company from scratch and launching a global investment fund. In many ways, London serves as a fitting backdrop for a long-overdue return to stage as many nights have been spent rehearsing, recording, and performing in landmark venues and studios across the UK. Succinct, sparse, and sonically urgent, “You Know My Speed” captures the energy that still drives my pursuit of excellence in all categories.” And speaking of London, Ryan will be highlighting the album21st March – London, O2 Academy Islington.
