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Sam Bostic - Soul Supreme: The Eclectic Collection

Does the name Tracy ring a bell? Maybe Sam Bostic sounds familiar to you? As the lead singer and founder of the acclaimed `90s Oakland, CA based trio Art `n Soul, he was featured on the Top 20 single “Ever Since You Went Away” (on Big Beat/Atlantic Records). As a writer/platinum producer and the infamous creator of mob music, he has been at the helm of several Bay Area hip hop tracks including E-40’s hits “Sprinkle Me” and “Dusted & Disgusted” from the platinum “In A Major Way,” “Heavy in the Game” from 2-Pac’s double-platinum selling “Me Against the World” CD, as well as “Come On” from Master P’s multi-platinum “I’m Bout It” soundtrack.

Baptized in the soul of the masters that came before him, Sam is ready to step onto the scene again releasing his solo debut CD, Soul Supreme:  The Eclectic Collection, under his independently owned and operated House of Soul Recordings L.L.C. imprint, which is distributed by Koch Entertainment.  Describing the vibe, Sam states, “We’ve heard all the so-called off springs of soul...Neo Soul, Contemporary Soul, etc. On this record, I wanted to revisit the vibe and textures of authentic Soul – Philly Soul, Stax and Memphis soul. My goal was to keep the record lean with 12 quality songs from start to finish, absolutely no filler or fluff.”

Soul Supreme includes the mesmerizing throwback “Zodiac Sign,” for which Raphael Saadiq contributed to the hook. Also there is “Still Missing U” which boasts a vintage Al Green vibe, complete with trumpets and the growl of Hammond B-3 Organs, a cover of the Stylistics’ 1972 hit “Break Up to Make Up” from the pens of legends Thom Bell, Linda Creed and Kenny Gamble. But before you think the entire CD is a déjà vu fest, there’s the hope filled anthem, “Get Away,” an exploration of a young hustlas journey to make it out of the ghetto, away from the grime of the streets, and the sexy “September” which weds a West Coast bounce track with creamy falsetto crooning…ala Curtis Mayfield. “I’m staying away from microwave music,” Sam promises. “You know, the kind that’s poured into a cup, stirred and heated up to be good for about six weeks. I want to make music that’ll still be here 100 years from now.”

Raised up from the Richmond, CA bootstraps, where true pimps and playas adorned almost every street corner, young Sam, was first influenced by his father, William Bostic, the lead singer of several groups that played the Bay Area to L.A. club circuit, most notably the Western Union Band. Sam actually taught himself to play several instruments left behind after band rehearsals held in his fathers basement. Though he was warned not to mess with the costly equipment, once everyone was out of sight, his grandmother gave him the green light to carefully “get his learn on.” Sam happily strapped on a Fender Jazz bass, followed by other axes, and proceeded to perfect his chops emulating the grooves and licks of childhood favorites such as Sly & The Family Stone and Earth, Wind & Fire. Recognizing game, his father invited a then 9- year old Sam to get on the mic during another band rehearsal. When he stomped a mud hole through the Ohio Players’ funk staple “Skin Tight,” dad put young blood front and center for a local TV taping. The funkadelic dye was cast. He was a music junky pure and simple and the energy from a crowd was his fix.

Since that time, Sam has immersed himself into the full 360 degrees of the music making process. As a member of Art n’ Soul, Sam impressed Tony Toni Tone’ member Timothy Christian Riley enough that he produced the trio’s debut album. And to this day, you might just catch Sam sitting in for Raphael Saadiq when his potnas Tim Christian Riley and D’ Wayne Wiggins takes “The Tonyies” on the road for a soul spin.

While Art n’ Soul is still very much in tact, the group is currently on a temporary hiatus. So Sam has been flexing his solo skills. Just prior to waxing Soul Supreme, Sam landed a slot with his Bluesy/Soulful track “1 More Try” in the 2003 Martin Lawrence film, “National Security.”   The song was nicely featured during a scene where Martin was frisking and cuffing a butter scotch toned foxy culprit. And now that his album is complete, Sam is ready, willing and fully capable of taking his package out on the road to give people a show and win the respect of audiences worldwide. Longtime fans may even expect to see members of Art n’ Soul among his backline.

“This is like my child,” Sam concludes of Soul Supreme: The Eclectic Collection, which he recorded at home in the Bay Area and mixed in Los Angeles. “I’ve been developing this body of work for a while now. It was the truth… from the very birth of the record.

“This thing I’m doing, it’s not about big name bling, bling or smoke and mirrors. I wrote, produced and played mostly all of the instruments myself.  I wanted to keep it raw and un-cut so I went in the studio, lit some candles and incense, and kept things intimate and spontaneous. “I would sit quietly in the room, and let the music speak to me, just allowing the magic to happen.”

A. Scott Galloway   - 2006