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AboutRoxanne Tataei brings conviction to your sound-system; A powerful voice on a stage with a tale or two to tell. Half Jamaican and half Iranian, at the tender old age of 21, her debut album entitled "Memoirs" is the fortuitous result of hard graft and a singular minded headspace.
Miss Tataei's youth wasn't misspent; Saturdays were for Church, for singing, from 9am to 5pm, every week from the age of five to ten. It was here that her voice, love of performance and work ethic took shape.
It was at various jovial Jamaican family gatherings that she sang above and beyond her stature, five part harmonies over fried fish and run-dung stew with a solo performance for dessert. These attributes were eventually accentuated in school plays and a stint with the National Youth Musical Theatre ensured most school holidays were spent on tour. In Rox's own words 'It wasn't long before all that Jazz-Hands stuff got on my nerves; Chicago (the musical) got swapped for Portishead (Dummy) and Lauryn Hill (the Miseducation).
Joni Mitchell completes this love of the heavy hitting diminutives and her inspiration combined with an appetite to perform complex arrangements enabled Rox to form an acoustic jazz group in the spring of 2007. The shows and songs showcased both her musical ability and stagecraft and their popularity soon began to attract the attention of the A&R fraternity. This in turn led to offers from a number of labels but Rox was supremely attracted to a common approach to artistic freedoms and signed to Rough Trade. The process of recording the album has involved all of her sonic influences and sessions on both sides of the musical pond. With New Jersey's Commissioner Gordon (famed for his work with Lauryn Hill, Damian Marley and KRS One) at the desk, Rox held her own jamming with a team of accomplished veterans 'Playing with guys who had recorded with the Skatalites and Bob Marley was a life changing experience'.
After having laid the foundations of the album in America, Rox returned home and began working with her friend Al Shux: the talented kid from London who co-wrote and produced Jay-Z's ode to NYC 'Empire State of Mind'. Shux's capability as a player and a producer fitted had and glove with Rox's own talents and tastes collided in the most fortunate of fashions. Sometimes you've got to go away to come home. "To work with someone with the pedigree of [Commissioner] Gordon was obviously a huge privilege but Shux was able to bring an entirely different approach to the recording process. He has amazing sensibility and helped me to truly bring life to my songs."
And so to the finished album, it's a game of three halves. It's about saying goodbye to someone, saying hello to heartache and the putting of her big toe back into loves' trepidation filled waters. Her lyrics undress her emotions, blatantly, constantly. Throughout the album you get the sense that this is to redress her, not in armour, but in a tailor made power suit. This catharsis isn't delivered with malice nor weak-willed 'woe is me' undertones. It's about process, working through something difficult, owning hurt and turning it into something to shake your tush to on a Saturday night; 'My Baby' is a perfect slice of up yours. The delicate beats driven stirrings of 'Sad Eyes' showcases heart, 'Do as I Say' is classic southern soul and 'Rocksteady' is triumphant feel-good reggae.
A truly classic album remains perpetually timeless and can only be built upon rock steady convictions that spring from an unwavering ability; Rox has this in spades and by the bucket load. With a sold out residency and a sensational performance on Jools Holland already under her belt and heart full of songs to belt in your direction, 2010 and "Memoirs" look interlinked from the get-go.
Taken from: thisisrox.com/bio
Miss Tataei's youth wasn't misspent; Saturdays were for Church, for singing, from 9am to 5pm, every week from the age of five to ten. It was here that her voice, love of performance and work ethic took shape.
It was at various jovial Jamaican family gatherings that she sang above and beyond her stature, five part harmonies over fried fish and run-dung stew with a solo performance for dessert. These attributes were eventually accentuated in school plays and a stint with the National Youth Musical Theatre ensured most school holidays were spent on tour. In Rox's own words 'It wasn't long before all that Jazz-Hands stuff got on my nerves; Chicago (the musical) got swapped for Portishead (Dummy) and Lauryn Hill (the Miseducation).
Joni Mitchell completes this love of the heavy hitting diminutives and her inspiration combined with an appetite to perform complex arrangements enabled Rox to form an acoustic jazz group in the spring of 2007. The shows and songs showcased both her musical ability and stagecraft and their popularity soon began to attract the attention of the A&R fraternity. This in turn led to offers from a number of labels but Rox was supremely attracted to a common approach to artistic freedoms and signed to Rough Trade. The process of recording the album has involved all of her sonic influences and sessions on both sides of the musical pond. With New Jersey's Commissioner Gordon (famed for his work with Lauryn Hill, Damian Marley and KRS One) at the desk, Rox held her own jamming with a team of accomplished veterans 'Playing with guys who had recorded with the Skatalites and Bob Marley was a life changing experience'.
After having laid the foundations of the album in America, Rox returned home and began working with her friend Al Shux: the talented kid from London who co-wrote and produced Jay-Z's ode to NYC 'Empire State of Mind'. Shux's capability as a player and a producer fitted had and glove with Rox's own talents and tastes collided in the most fortunate of fashions. Sometimes you've got to go away to come home. "To work with someone with the pedigree of [Commissioner] Gordon was obviously a huge privilege but Shux was able to bring an entirely different approach to the recording process. He has amazing sensibility and helped me to truly bring life to my songs."
And so to the finished album, it's a game of three halves. It's about saying goodbye to someone, saying hello to heartache and the putting of her big toe back into loves' trepidation filled waters. Her lyrics undress her emotions, blatantly, constantly. Throughout the album you get the sense that this is to redress her, not in armour, but in a tailor made power suit. This catharsis isn't delivered with malice nor weak-willed 'woe is me' undertones. It's about process, working through something difficult, owning hurt and turning it into something to shake your tush to on a Saturday night; 'My Baby' is a perfect slice of up yours. The delicate beats driven stirrings of 'Sad Eyes' showcases heart, 'Do as I Say' is classic southern soul and 'Rocksteady' is triumphant feel-good reggae.
A truly classic album remains perpetually timeless and can only be built upon rock steady convictions that spring from an unwavering ability; Rox has this in spades and by the bucket load. With a sold out residency and a sensational performance on Jools Holland already under her belt and heart full of songs to belt in your direction, 2010 and "Memoirs" look interlinked from the get-go.
Taken from: thisisrox.com/bio
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