Music: Vesta - Distant Lover

R&B legend Vesta returns to the spotlight this week with her Shanachie debut Distant Lover on which she reinvents timeless soul songs from the likes of Deniece Williams, Sade, Marvin Gaye, Babyface, The Spinners and others.

Vesta's new CD Distant Lover exemplifies the word 'classic' on a number of levels. Not only is her Shanachie debut a sampling of some of the greatest R&B 'classics' but it is a sublime example of how a singer can rework a song when they posses an innate ability to personalize and take chances with a composition. Distant Lover is a refreshing exploration of R&B gems that reveal Vesta's personal connection to each song. Her intensely rich, earthy and soulful voice combined with her intelligent, thoughtful and often playful phrasing drive home the lyrics of any song she sings. The upbeat and charming singer shares, "I don't think people will expect to hear me sing all the different styles featured on Distant Lover. I hope to shock people when they learn that these are not only songs that I love but also ones that I can actually sing and capture the essence of all the incredible artists who sang them."

Distant Lover is a thrilling glimpse into the singer's personality and creative genius as a song stylist. Her renditions of Whip Appeal (Babyface) and If You Want Me To Stay (Sly Stone & The Family Stone) , show off her playful and comedic side. Vesta states, "I had a lot of fun with Sly's song and got to show off my more stank funky side!" Vesta equally enjoyed recording the Bill Withers hit Use Me, a song she frequently performs in concert. "This song has a lot to do with some of the experiences I have had," says Vesta. "I have run into a lot of severe vultures in the business and in relationships." Vesta also calls upon songs from her youth on like the Spinners staple Could It Be I'm Falling in Love and the title track, which was a hit for Marvin Gaye. Vesta recalls "In my youth, I remember sitting in my living room and listening to 'Distant Lover' over and over again. Growing up it was one of my favorite songs. I guess I was lonely and the song just spoke to me."

While most of the tracks on Distant Lover are classics recorded by men, Vesta highlights three songs sung by women for whom she holds deep admiration: Deniece Williams, Sade and Syreeta Wright. Vesta remakes Deniece Williams' smash hit Free and says "Deniece Williams is an amazing vocalist and person. She happens to be someone who is as sweet as she sounds!" Sade's No Ordinary Love is a song that Vesta fell in love with the first time she heard it. She shares, "There is a wonderful mood to Sade's writing. She stands alone in her genre." Vesta and singer Issac Clemon, perform a memorable version of With You I'm Born Again, which was sung by Syreeta and the late Billy Preston. The singer confides, "I had the pleasure of spending time with Syreeta at her home and she was such wonderful person. When the idea of a duet came up, I knew 'Born Again' was the right song. With the passing of Billy Preston, it was heavy on my heart. He was a sweetheart and a killer piano player and you could almost forget how well he sang until you heard him singing. I called upon Syreeta in my minds eye when we were recording this song. Hopefully she came and visited. Maybe that beautiful smile from heaven blessed us with her essence."

As much as Vesta enjoyed recording the repertoire on Distant Lover, she equally enjoyed collaborating with the personnel on the CD which includes saxophonists Kim Waters and Marty Q, guitarists Derrick "Hot Sauce" Cummings, Randy Bowland, Rhon Lawrence and Wayne Bruce. Producer Chris "Big Dog" Davis, who Vesta affectionately refers to as "Muscle," plays all the additional instruments heard on the CD. "Recording this music with 'Muscle' was just magical," says Vesta. "Creative energies are powerful and sometime stubborn but this was such a beautiful experience."

With the release of Distant Lover, Vesta is sure to delight and surprise old fans and garner new ones with her refreshing takes on timeless classics. Vesta concludes, "I hope that my love for this music and the musicians and composers who wrote and sang them comes through."

Enjoy a couple of tracks from the album below:

Could It Be I'm Falling In Love

Free


VESTA
DISTANT LOVER
Shanachie
available now
www.myspace.com/vestawilliams

Widescreen: Noah's Arc The Movie

Logo, announced that it plans to bring Noah's Arc, its hit flagship series about four African American gay friends in Los Angeles to the silver screen in 2008 as Logo's first original theatrical film.

Noah's Arc will join Sex and the City, Star Trek and The Simpsons as yet another fan-driven series finding a home at the multiplex, opening the door to greater storytelling depth, expanded creative opportunities and new audiences. Currently in development, the film is expected to pick up after the show's second season cliffhanger finale and continue with an even bolder and provocative storyline. The film will leave the door open for sequels, additional television seasons and specials. The series is created by and executive produced by Patrik-Ian Polk and his Tall Skinny Black Boy Productions.

"Noah's Arc has one of the most intensely loyal fan bases in television and we're thrilled to harness the power of film to let Patrik-Ian Polk continue the story he has so skillfully woven," said Brian Graden, President, Entertainment, MTV Networks Music Group, and President, Logo. "Noah's Arc has so many dimensions and possibilities, so advancing to the feature film format is an exciting way to motivate our loyal fans and engage an even wider audience."
Logo's most popular series, season one of Noah's Arc premiered in October 2005, just months after the launch of the network and season two premiered in August 2006. The show, which became the first television series about LGBT people of color, follows the lives and loves of four African-American gay men looking for love and signs of intelligent life in Los Angeles: Noah (Darryl Stephens), Chance (Doug Spearman), Alex (Rodney Chester) and Ricky (Christian Vincent).

"I began this series as a straight-to-DVD project, and Logo gave us a home as its flagship scripted series. And now we're taking it to the big screen!" said Polk. "Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this little independent show in movie theatres! Hats off to MTV Networks and Logo for believing in us enough to take Noah to that next level."

Polk is expected to share producing duties on the Noah's Arc film with series co-executive producer Carol Ann Shine. He made his feature film debut with the independent feature Punks, which premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Lowbudget Feature.

Although Noah's Arc will be Logo's first original theatrical film release, Logo content is available on every viewing platform available including LOGOonline.com, which houses the world's largest library of LGBT ad-supported streaming video, wireless devices from Amp'd and Sprint and download-to-own services including iTunes, AOL Video and Amazon UnBox as well as podcasts and DVD.