Rosie Gaines: You Gave Me Freedom, CD

A new album from Rosie Gaines is a major cause for celebration by soul fans. It will be her first album since her Motown ‘Closer Than Close’ release, the album which led to her 250,000-selling UK hit with a remix of the title track. The 14-song collection is written, arranged, performed and produced by Rosie.

The California-based vocalist and keyboard player, who established herself as a key member of Prince’s New Power Generation with her powerful vocals on such songs as ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, has been writing constantly over the past five years. Among her successes as a writer has been a Grammy-winning song for Patti Labelle and other songs for Mavis Staples.

In 2002 she was featured as a guest with Snoop Dogg on the Bootsy Collins album ‘Play With Bootsy’, and several of the tracks on her new album have a distinct P-funk influence.

In recent months the opening cut from the album, ‘I Can’t Get You Off My Mind’, has become a firm favourite of UK soul DJs.

The tracks range from the soulful ‘Wanna Be’ to the assertive, P-funk-influenced ‘New Beginning’ and ‘I’m All Woman’, and the jazzy ‘Honeychild’.