Carla Fleming's "Rise Again" Elevates Sacramento's Soul
SacTV.com "Video of the Day" review by
Alex Cosper on April 25, 2012
When people talk about Sacramento local music, the topic frequently revolves around rock, country and blues bands. Rarely
do we see local press on local R&B artists for whatever reason. We know the city is filled with R&B lovers
and radio stations that play major label R&B acts all day long, but where's the local R&B scene? There are
local venues that feature this important popular sound aren't there? To be fair, Sacramento has always had
a scene for jazz, which includes elements of R&B. There are certainly a lot of local cover bands who play
R&B classics. Let's also not forget Jay King, whose Club Nouveau was the first act ever based from Sacramento
to have a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. That record was a cover of the Bill Withers 70s smash "Lean On Me."
That happened in 1986, which seems like a long time ago. King has since moved to Los Angeles. Morrisson,
another great R&B talent, has moved to San Francisco.
The question is where's the new local soul coming from? In order to explore that question, we
actually have to turn to an international website called ReverbNation, which features every imaginable
genre for almost every city on the map, including Sacramento. That's where I found Carla Fleming.
Her new video release of her single "Rise Again" is an amazing song and performance that rivals
current national hits. It's refreshing to hear a song from any genre have a positive uplifiting message
these days and that's exactly what this song provides. It certainly deserves to be on the list of best
R&B songs to ever come from California's Capital. Her talent is also captivating, but if we just look
at songs, "Rise Again" is powerful enough to be a breakout hit someday.
Sacramento's history of developing national hits is pretty short story, but if Carla keeps putting out
songs of this calibre, she will achieve more than local attention. Even beyond
the R&B genre, this song has true potential to erase America's decade-long musical dry spell for memorable
pop hits besides what we've heard from a handful of superstars such as Adele. Not only is Carla's song well-written
and well-performed, it is showcased with excellent production, which has traditionally been a roadblock for local artists.
But this is the full package, ready for prime time, should luck push it in that direction.
Even if it only stays within the region, it's music worth talking about that deserves more press.
The video of "Rise Again," presented by Leisure Entertainment, also provides a solution to the question
whatever happened to great music videos.
To be fair to the rest of the R&B scene, there are many other R&B artists and songs with hit potential
on ReverbNation's Sacramento R&B chart. But many of the songs include profanity, which may be "cool" but becomes a barrier
to airplay and marketing since such music requires warning labels and edits, limiiting possible audience reach.
Carla's song "Rise Again" doesn't have that problem. It's mass appeal music that can be played for any audience,
regardless of genre tastes. The song simply has the magic to inspire anyone who listens. What other artists
need to learn is that in tough times, positive songs can and do make a difference. Carla's previous releases
are available on iTunes. Read more about indie artists at Playlist Research.
Create professional media in Sacramento
© SacTV.com. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Statement
| |
