Have you ever had a secret you knew wouldn't stay under the tables long? The appeal too great to stay softly spoken among only a few. Enter Darnell Levine. An unapologetic vocal delivery, honest lyrics, toxic melodies, and strong sense of who he is, Levine is bringing reprieve to the stagnant air in the current elbow-to-elbow music environment. Unlike some, he treads softly on topics of musical comparison - considered a breed of soul/pop with singer-songwriter aesthetics, he lets the music moderate any sentiments of association. The anticipated release of his second studio album will come on the heels of a short US tour and new music release, setting him up to be the next Artist To Watch.
Louisville, Kentucky native Darnell Levine Anderson was driven into music at an early age, literally. He fell in love with music while riding in cars to and from his parents' destinations. Morning rides to work with his father exposed him to the Bee Gees, Ray Charles, The Carpenters, and Bonnie Raitt. His afternoon ride in his mother's 1986 Toyota Camry exposed him to The Stylistics, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Sam Cooke, and Luther Vandross. Darnell credits these musical inspirations as his school outside of school. Though he started out shy, by his teen years he began leading with church and local high school choirs. Meanwhile, a formally trained percussionist and self-taught pianist, Levine hadn't yet picked up a pen to write his own songs.
In 2001, he entered the University of Kentucky and became known for his singing abilities throughout the campus. He started listening to more jazz, traditional gospel, blues, and the new, at the time, breed of music dubbed neo-soul. As his passion for music grew in college, Levine and friends cultured their gifts through the creation of miCheck (pronounced mike-check), an open-mic experience for students and local musicians, which is still a tradition on the University of KY campus. Soon he fell in love with the hot and sweet sounds of jazz arrangements and the newly popular neo-soul movement. Equipped with this backdrop, Levine was ready to write his own words and play his own music.
And he does it well, creating his own signature viral content including videos, album artworks, website developments, IAMMUSIC BRAND, and consistent U.S. touring, presenting a continuum of content to fuel a self-evolving dream.
“So Nice To Be Loved” the latest single, is a laid back groove positioned atop a Caribbean inspired beat with guitars and pianos carrying the melody and Conga drums maintaining the rhythm. His R&B sound and jazz training make the tune the perfect first single and will set the tone for the tour. His uniquely confident voice and style is here to fulfill a demand in the music industry…the mixture of R&B, jazz, soul, blues, and hip hop. It is common place for Darnell to ‘scat’ and ‘boo bop’ through a track, followed by an emotion-filled ballad, and then rhythmically flow into his signature body/mouth percussion with the ‘swag’ of hip-hop and class of a R&B veteran.
Darnell Levine has transcended into an excelled writer, performer, producer, musician, and entertainer. He has shared the stage with the likes of Mint Condition, Bilal, Keith Urban, John Legend, Jamie Foxx, Shelia E., Big Kenny, Bobby Blue Bland, Lalah Hathaway, and others. His music can be found on Music Choice TV and Yahoo Radio, as well as sold through Amazon and iTunes. Recently, Levine performed during the 2010 Grammy’s at Jamie Foxx’s FoxxHole Live in LA where his performance was simulcast live on Sirius Radio.
Ladies and gentleman, this is Darnell Levine.
