Shara Nelson

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Shara Nelson (born in London, England) is a singer and musician.

She is probably best known for providing the vocals on the Massive Attack song Unfinished Sympathy which has frequently been described as one of the best songs of all time, according to polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines and reviewers.^{[citation needed]} A reviewer for the BBC has said that: "More than a decade after its release it remains one of the most moving pieces of dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly as a ballad by Bacharach or a melody by McCartney."

1 Early Work
2 Late 1990's
3 2000's
4 Albums
5 Non Album Tracks
6 Critical Acclaim
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Early Work

Her work with Massive Attack was not solely confined to singing, and she assisted with other aspects of the songmaking process. However, she decided to discontinue working with the band after the Blue Lines album.

In July 1993 she started her solo career with the UK Top 20 hit Down That Road, which peaked at #19. The single was released on Cooltempo Records after Nelson had returned to London from Bristol. Both Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osbourne were involved in remixing the single, which marketed her as the "new Aretha Franklin".

According to reviews she "readily admitted to her Motown Records influences, and the arrangements on her debut album were sumptuous affairs, with heaped strings and gushing choruses." The songs were co-written by Prince Be of P.M. Dawn (Down That Road), Adrian Sherwood (the title track) and Saint Etienne ("One Goodbye In Ten').

[edit] Late 1990's

Her second album "Friendly Fire" was released in 1995, it contained the hits "Rough with the Smooth" and "I Fell (So You Could Catch Me". It was a much deeper album than her debut, steering away from the pop motown sound. Instead it is a dramatic and dark epic filled with aching vocals and plenty of strings.

In 1998 she released the single "Black Island" with Air Cuba on the 4AD label She contributed to the David Arnold 007 James Bond Project, her track was "Moonraker"

In 1999 She released a single "U" with Kasha

[edit] 2000's

There was a quiet period after these releases, contributing only to an album by Little Axe in 2004

In Dec 2007 Shara is featured on a new single by NUFrequency called "Go That Deep", and it is already topping dance charts thanks to the remix from Charles Webster.

There are new tracks posted on her official website: "Promise To You", "Different" and "If" www.sharanelson.com

Expect more to come from Shara in 2008 with rumors of a new solo album.

There is a mini clip of the new single NUFrequency feat Shara Nelson "Go That Deep" on youtube. The full video and single release will be in Feb, followed by the NUFrequency album which will feature Shara nelson on vocals.

In a message on their myspace page NUFrequency they said the following about Shara Nelson "Go That Deep will be released on vinyl and digital on 21st of February with the album following after summer" "Also Shara is probably singing on at least one more track on the album, and YES she is also working on her new solo album!"

[edit] Albums

1991 Massive Attack "Blue Lines"

Tracks: Safe from Harm, Unfinished Sympathy, Daydreaming and Lately

1993 Solo Album "What Silence Knows"

Tracks: Nobody, Pain Revisited, One Goodbye in Ten, Inside Out, Uptight, Down That Road, Chance, Thoughts Of You, How Close and What Silence Knows

1995 Solo Album "Friendly Fire"

Tracks: Rough With the Smooth, Moving On, Poetry, I Fell (So You Could Catch Me), Footprint, Between The Lines, After You, Exit One, Friendly Fire and Keeping Out The Cold

1999 Presence "All Systems Gone"

Tracks: Matter Of Fact and Sense Of Danger

2008 NUFrequency "TBA"

Tracks: Go that Deep, other tracks TBA

2008 New Solo Album (TBA)

[edit] Non Album Tracks

Moonraker (With David Arnold)
Push Me Away (With 10th Planet)
Say My Name (With Little Axe)
Black Island (With Air Cuba)
U (With Kasha)
Go That Deep (With NUfrequency)
Good Intentions (With Groove Corporation)
Faraway Places (With Groove Corporation)
Realise (With Jason Sparks)
In Another World (With Voice Of Authority)
Savanna Prance(With The Missing Brazilians)
The Look Of Love (With The Wild Bunch)

[edit] Critical Acclaim

"Friendly Fire firmly established her as an international soul artist, a fact at least partly attributable to Nelson's ability to write lyrics of much greater depth than is generally associated with the genre." - Lycos review^{[citation needed]}
"Shara Nelson’s wonderful rich vocals rise above the simple ascending/descending chord structure." - BBC Review^[1]
"Shara Nelson did most of the vocals and her voice is far more soulful, in the traditional sense of the word, than mine will ever be." - Beth Gibbons of Portishead^[2]