maiko watson

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After the sucess of Maiko's debut album 'Sweet Vibration", Maiko has been back in the studio and working on new material. Her latest single, Breaking My Heart, was co-written and produced by Tino Zolfo (Adaline). The song came together in one session in Tino's studio in Toronto.
Maiko has been singing for as long as she can remember. She began writing songs over instrumental music at age twelve. Her songs are everyday stories of love, heartbreak, optimism and strength. Her sound is a melting pot of earthy, vintage tones, where classic soul meets the twenty first century, layered with reggae and rock, and topped by jazzy vocal stylings. She lists some of her influences as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin and Betty Davis.
In 2007 she won an award from the Winnipeg Jazz Radio Station, COOL 99.1 that was used to fund the making of this album.
Sweet Vibration was awarded Best Urban Album at BreakOut West 2010, held in Kelowna, BC.The album first hit sound waves across Canada, cracking the top 50 on national community radio chart !earshot. The music has continued to spread steadily across the globe, being featured on a number of blogs throughout North America, the UK, France, and has been widely downloaded via torrent. Highlights included being featured on BET's Soul Session, The Paul Miller Soul Show on BBC and CBC, as well as placing songs on MuchMusic's Degrassi and the UK-based Soul Unsigned: The 2010 Summer Session compilation.
Sweet Vibration is available on Itunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sweet-vibration/id338709733
"Breaking My Heart" is available for free download here:
http://maikowatson.bandcamp.com/



RECENT PRESS



"NNNN (out of 5).A total career reinvention.Her fantastic voice soars through soulful numbers like Haunting Me and the piano-driven Another Day.A mature, engrossing album accessible enough for casual listeners of this genre. Watson has as a sound that evokes classic soul but doesn't ape it." Andrew Rennie, NOW Magazine



"…A personal triumph and a first-rate showcase for her lush, soothing vocal tones, which are wrapped in a spirited mix of jazz, reggae, soul and disco influences. There's not a duff track out of the ten on the disc." Matt Bauer, Exclaim! Magazine



"She has this wonderful voice, very soulful. Great pipes!" Kinsey Posen, CBC Radio



"Nothing Watson has done before will prepare you for this easy perfection of the singer/songwriter's smoldering debut, Sweet Vibration. Channeling sultry vets Maxine Nightingale and Marlena Shaw with a healthy dollop of Amy Winehouse, Sweet Vibration is the perfect 11th hour entry to close out 2009". L. Michael Gipson, BET's Soul Sessions Blog



"She has a rich, expansive set of pipes, imbued with a subtlety that reminds me of singers like Amy Winehouse, Des'ree and Estelle. The Winnipeg native wrote, arranged and produced the 10-song collection… Her debut album is comprised of optimistic ruminations about love and life in a soothing mix of jazz, disco, reggae and soul." Ashante Infantry Toronto Star



"A one-woman force, her music will seduce you, and her voice will leave a lasting impression." Freshly.Educated.Men



".Sweet Vibration is a profound showcase of Maiko Watson's singing and writing skills. Unlike most contemporary 'urban' albums, which feature walls of sound produced by committees, this is a living, breathing document of rootsy, classic soul performances, pure and simple." John Kendal, Uptown Magazine