Album Notes

Her music is an innovative mingling of R&B and pop. And the marriage of genres in her music reflects the diversity in her personal background. Raised in the rough and tumble environs of the Bronx, yet classically trained at the École Normale de Musique in Paris, Simone Harrison covers the sonic waterfront on her Rainy Records debut album, Spoken Emotions. "I'm just not happy unless I'm performing," Simone says. "When I was younger I enjoyed performing around the house, so my Mother encouraged me by placing me in performing arts programs and off-Broadway shows. I realized that I had a gift for reaching people through the arts. Performing is pretty much based on my connection with people."

Although she was once a member of a short-lived girl group called Ariel - the rhythm and blues trio quietly released a self-titled album during the mid-Nineties - the public at large has yet to sample the flavor of Simone solo. Brandishing her skills as singer and songwriter this time around, tunes from Simone's debut spring straight from the heart of her own true experiences and observations. "Good Girl" speaks to the subdued pleasures of slept-on females who refuse to parade their charms at after-hours nightclubs on the regular; "Save the Rest for Me" emphasizes the benefits of quality time in a relationship, above and beyond the rat race effort spent maintaining an extravagant lifestyle; and "Do the Math" is a sublime ballad that embodies the very definition of "lovelorn," as the narrator details being forsaken by her lover.

"A lot of the songs are based on actual relationships that I've been in, but I use my theater background for writing," says Simone. "Sometimes I'll just take a character and develop the storyline. I'll take a little bit about what happened to me or how I felt about a relationship and dramatize it a little bit." Working with Producer/Rainy Records CEO Marc Whitaker throughout Spoken Emotions lends the album a seamless quality that serves the project well. "We work very well together," she says. "He really gave me an opportunity to grow and experiment as an artist. I had a hard time applying the same emotion in a recording booth that I would to perform for hundreds of people. He just reminded me of my capabilities and helped to refine my skills. His perfect pitch and patience were extremely helpful."

Drawing on influences as diverse as Rachelle Ferrell, Whitney Houston and the late Aaliyah, Simone incorporates her inspirations into Spoken Emotions in a barely detectable, smoothly inconspicuous fashion. Beyond the world of music, Simone aspires to the stage and silver screen, and holds equal reverence for the likes of multitalented role models Debbie Allen and Vanessa Williams.

As an alumna of the LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts (popularized in 1980's "Fame" film) and the prestigious Sarah Lawrence College, Simone has been dually trained in music and acting since her youth. Born and raised in the Bronx, her pursuit of the arts led her to Paris for a year during college, where she learned fluent French and furthered her classical music training. In addition to her formal vocal and acting instruction, and her previous Ariel music project, Simone has also toured across America in various theatre productions. "Whether people can associate with my character, my lyrics, or with my personal endeavors, communicating allows me to influence others. The performing arts allow me to speak to others without talking directly to them."

The culmination of a life spent in devotion to the art of expression, Spoken Emotions is an amazing first-time effort that provides listeners a taste of things to come from singer/songwriter Simone Harrison. Armed with a wide-ranging style featuring lush harmonies and straightforward subject matter, Simone launches a career sure to be unpredictable, full of surprises and ever changing . . . like life itself.