|
BRICK & LACE
‘Their Love is wicked'
Born to a Jamaican father and an American mother and raised predominantly in Kingston, Jamaica on a musical diet of reggae, R&B, hip hop, pop and country, Nyanda and Nailah Thorbourne couldn't help but be involved in music. "We are a hybrid," affirms Nailah in her effortlessly sexy West-Indian dialect. "It's not fabricated at all; it's who we are." Part urban singers and part urbane songstresses, sibling duo Brick&Lace are ladies who defy the 30-second pitch. The sound that makes up their Kon Live/180 Ent./Geffen debut, Love Is Wicked, is unique, though also at once very familiar.
Indeed, who they are, is evident in their name: "Our mother came up with the name 'Lace' and we immediately liked it," explains the incisively passionate Nyanda. "But we still felt that there was an edge missing, so I came up with 'Brick.' It has stuck with us ever since and has evolved with us." To the ladies of Brick&Lace, their name represents the duality and complexity of the every woman. "Sometimes you want to wear a cap and sneakers and look grimy," Nyanda tells. "And sometimes you want to wear your sexy dress and heels and look cute." Nailah puts it all in perspective: "People always ask: 'Who is Brick&Lace?' And we always tell them it depends on the day!"
The expression involved makes Love Is Wicked (the first release on Akon's own label, Kon Live) an aural delight. On their introductory single "Never Never," Brick & Lace caution the men to behave themselves if they want a chance with the sisters. Like the best cooperative artists, each sister has her specialized lane. Nailah on Nyanda: "Her voice, tone and style and the way she spits her lyrics is edgy." Nyanda on Nailah: "She is versatile with a more R&B slant. She has a lot of presence and whatever emotion we need to get out of a record, she gets it, she's there. "Brick&Lace are to be the first group released on the label (Kon Live Records). In addition, Akon is behind the production of "Never Never" - Brick&Lace's first single, and "Boyfriend."
Nyanda and Nailah wrote or co-wrote every single song on Love Is Wicked. "I'd say we're artists in the truest sense," acknowledges the philosopher of the two, Nyanda. "Being an artist is when the essence of you comes through in your work." The sisters have penned hits for Janet Jackson, Paris Hilton and The Pussy Cat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger. Having cut their teeth-singing backup for Roberta Flack, Lauryn Hill and family friend Marcia Griffiths, Nyanda and Nailah went on to record their first song back in Jamaica with dancehall super-producer, Tony Kelly. They also went on to track several songs with heavyweight deejays, one of which includes a street smash with Bounty Killer. Good things do indeed come to those who toil. Brick&Lace, now armed with a sterling debut, are locked and loaded and ever ready to capture the ears and hearts of those who appreciate the best in life: very good music. "I truly feel like it's our time," Nyanda says with a modest confidence while Nailah affirmatively nods
.
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
