Toronto-based singer Shakura S’Aida has released her second album — titled Brown Sugar — to coincide with her first European tour in 2010. The CD is being released worldwide by the German company, Ruf Records.
The tour beings January 21 with four dates in Germany, followed by dates in Austria and Switzerland before returning to Germany (with a side trip to Luxembourg). The 19-date tour sees S’Aida, along with her songwriting colleague and guitarist Donna Grantis, on a triple bill with Austrian singer Meena and guitar phenomenon Coco Montoya, a veteran of bands fronted by Albert Collins and John Mayall.
The tour includes an appearance at Dietikon, the Swiss town where she grew up. “I was the only black kid for miles around – people used to touch me to see if I was real. Now they’ll have to pay to do that at my show,” she laughs.
A Toronto resident for more than 20 years, S’Aida was born in Brooklyn but raised in Switzerland; she’s been dubbed Canada’s international blues star, and played four European tours in 2009.
Brown Sugar, her second CD, was recorded in Tennessee and produced by Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lee Hooker, Santana). Released in Europe to coincide with the tour, the CD will be released in Canada and the United States on April 13, with a celebration/concert set for Toronto’s Revival club the following day.
The new album includes 10 songs co-written with Donna Grantis — a dramatic departure from her 2006 debut album, Blueprint, on which Shakura wrote only 2 of the 11 tracks.
Two more tours in Europe have been set for S’Aida so far, and she will perform at the St. John Blues Festival in the U.S. Virgin Islands in March, as well as part of the Blues Discovery Series at the Attucks Theatre in Norfolk, VA.
Closer to home, she’ll be part of a concert at Koerner Hall, Toronto on March 3 — named Sistahs, the event features performances from a number of other African Canadian singers, including Molly Johnson and Jackie Richardson. In the summer, she’ll also make her debut performance at the Calgary Folk Festival.
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Website: www.shakurasaida.com
For further information, including high-res photographs, please contact
Richard Flohil, Richard Flohil & Associates
Phone: 416 351-1323