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On Amazon: http://smarturl.it/thebeat_amzn
On iTunes: http://smarturl.it/thebeat_itunes

"The relaxed charisma of Mr. James' tone, especially on alto and tenor, is one reason his approach works.... Another reason is his sturdy sense of phrase. Like Grover Washington, Jr., a pioneer in this field, he sounds at ease but alert, and he's capable of striking an imploring tone without an overdose of saccharine." - New York Times

Three-time GRAMMY nominee Boney James has returned to former label Concord Records with a dynamic, genre-busting album The Beat. One of the most successful instrumental artists of our time with sales totaling over 3 million records, James' new project fuses his R&B/Jazz roots with Latin rhythm and percussion.

"This record was born of my love for both Latin and R&B music and became a mash-up of the two genres. The initial inspiration for the record was Sergio Mendes' "Batucada (The Beat)," which I re-imagined as a funk tune." "Batucada (The Beat)" reunites Boney with trumpet great Rick Braun. "Rick and I have a wonderful history. There is a certain edge and energy that comes out when we play together that creates a really cool vibe."

Other special guests on the project include eclectic R&B soul singer Raheem DeVaughn and spoken word phenom The Floacist. The first Urban AC single, going for adds in mid-February, is "Maker of Love," a sexy, soulful song featuring DeVaughn. "Raheem is an artist I've wanted to work with for a long time and we actually met by following each other on Twitter! I sent him the track and he came back with an incredible lyric and finished vocal," says James.

UK poet and musician The Floacist (former partner of Marsha Ambrosius) brings a seductive flow to "The Midas (This is Why)" which adds to the World Music flavor of the album. James says, "This track is a real serious mash-up with the R&B groove, the shekere and conga percussion, coupled with the 'Euro' vibe from The Floacist!"