Tracy Cruz
Feel'osophy
Debut album from this vibrant Neo-Soul singer from San Jose, CA. Featuring special guest and Grammy award winning emcee Kanetic Source. "The vocals are brilliant. We are probably talking about the best Soul album this year so far." -DJ Soulswede
From her presence to her music to her life’s path, Tracy Cruz has become one of the most extraordinary musical wonders. Wherever she performs, she astonishes and mesmerizes. People often ask "How does that big voice come from such a little lady?" At knee high, Tracy started blessing stages at the age of twelve, competing in talent competitions and coming home with trophies. 16 years later, she continues to capture the hearts and ears of many through her powerful voice, magnetic stage presence, and soulful music. As a mother, wife, songwriter, and performer, some wonder how she managed such a sweet comeback; but she didn’t do it alone.
Through the musical inspirations of Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Sarah Vaughan, and Ledisi, Tracy Cruz has blended her favorite distinctive vocal styles to create her own rare sound. Strong melodies, catchy hooks, introspective lyrics, and lush arrangements characterize Tracy’s Soul/Jazz/R&B creations. As the primary songwriter, she brings her personal observations and experiences on love and life with eloquent storytelling and vivid imagery to her songs. Her debut album “FEEL'OSOPHY” – (released September 23, 2008) – is the study of emotions through musical words and sounds. The 16 track album encompasses all layers of feeling such as joy, sorrow, anger, excitement, and hope. Tracy Cruz and producer Allen Ross purposely used different vocal styles and musical arrangements to truly capture a world of emotion in each song. Listeners will take an emotional journey of passion through "Emotional Love", wonder through "Blue Eyes," hope with "Don't Leave," and excitement with "Expression Sensation." All songs were either written solely or collaboratively by Tracy Cruz or Allen Ross, with Ross remaining the sole musical producer. Since its release, the album has won 3 Muse’s Muse Awards for “Best R&B CD Project of 2008”, “Best Lyrics Female”, and “Best R&B Single Female” and has received attention from reputable music critics and consistent airplay from radio stations across the US and around the world including KPFA 94.1 FM (Berkeley, California), KPOO 89.5 FM (San Francisco, California), KKUP 91.5 FM (Cupertino, California), KAZI 88.7 FM (Austin, Texas), Kiss FM 91.6 (Sweden), and Solar Radio (London) . The past few years have been a whirlwind of sorts for Tracy. This album serves as tremendous representation of a struggle that she powerfully deems “beautiful.” Despite the trials and tribulations of her personal life, Tracy Cruz has simply not lost her "spiritual being."
Lead siren Tracy Cruz and luscious band “Smooth Session” have graced many stages such as the 102.9 FM KBLX Soul Music Festival at the Chronicle Pavilion, Maxwell's Lounge, Straits Restaurant, Santana Row, San Jose and San Francisco’s Juneteenth Festival, Ninhonmachi Street Festival, Agenda Lounge, Voodoo Lounge, Mojito Lounge, Karibbean City, Hotel Valencia, Temple Bar, Sofa Lounge, MACLA Theatre, Fanny and Alexanders, and many more. The strong, eclectic army never fail to rock the party and seductively charm a crowd. Though a young lady, Tracy is already a seasoned veteran of the industry. She sang background vocals for soul singer Ledisi at Cafe Du Nord in 2002 and has opened up for Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas at the 4th Annual Asian Heritage Festival in San Francisco. In April 2005, Tracy released an EP entitled "ILLUMINATE LOVE,” which was entirely produced by Allen Ross. Her song "For You," featuring Kanetic Source, former emcee of Grammy Award winning hip hop/latin group Ozomatli, has accumulated national recognition and over 50,000 plays on internet websites like Myspace and Soundclick. She was a special guest vocalist for "World Musikahan with Ryan Cayabyab" show which was shown globally on ABC-CBN television network. Locally, Tracy has rocked the stage alongside Martin Luther, Crown City Rockers, the Fingerbangerz Crew, Breakestra, Pep Love, Living Legends, and Zion I. Honing her writing skills and developing a unique vocal style, she has come up with an album that has the ability to captivate the emotions and attention of listeners of different ages and all walks of life.
Urban/R&B: Smooth Soul