Soulful singer-songwriter and former American Idol finalist Elise Testone recently released her first new album in three years, This Is Love.
This Is Love is the perfect combination of soul, rock, attitude and restraint—a distinct fusion of R&B and rock, subtly influenced by funk and hip-hop that best complements her longstanding reputation as a sassy soul siren. Equally as impressive belting James Brown-style over a relentless funk groove as she is gently resting her voice over a tender ballad, Testone’s range of influences and vocal capacity are on full display on This Is Love.
The new funk- and R&B-fueled album features a number of notable guest contributors. Co-written with guitarist Adam Fallen (Clay Aiken, Eric Benet) and Brooklyn jazz, hip-hop, and electronica multi-instrumentalist Jesse Fischer, and featuring Daru Jones (Jack White, Pete Rock) on drums, “Flying High” starts the album floating joyously through a jazz-flavored, flute-enhanced classic soul orchestral groove. Other players on the album include teen guitar phenom Brandon “Taz” Niederauer (who co-wrote the album’s closing song, “Tell Me Now”), drummer Robert Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Ghost-Note) and experimental bass master MonoNeon (Prince). Guitarist Jordan Peters also co-wrote two songs on the record, played guitar on all the tracks, and served as a featured guest on “Take The Ride”.
“I never know what I might do with my voice, and sometimes I’m personally shocked in a positive way when the notes bend unexpectedly,” she says. “I am also so grateful to a have a strong, passionate, talented and soulful group of musicians, who I call friends, available to play on stage with me in any situation.”
“Love has come in and out of our lives in many different ways,” says Testone. “Sometimes the love is real and sometimes we are bound together by an unhealthy passion or aggression and become trapped under the illusion that what we have is true, when in fact it is the opposite. This Is Love is an artistic expression of those experiences, starting with ‘Flying High,’ a composition focused on the most important love ― self-love.”
Of special note on This Is Love is “Holly”, written to honor the memory of Elise’s best friend and Charleston, SC roommate, who committed suicide in 2015 two years after surviving life-threatening brain surgery.
“Holly had a light around her that was like no one I know,” Elise recalls. “She could make anyone smile within the first few seconds of seeing her. We bonded instantly and had a relationship built on honesty and playfulness. We looked out for each other. We were family. Both of us young at heart, we shared a deep passion for music. Holly always dreamed of being a music star but was always a little afraid to perform.”
“Two years after her surgery, I moved to New York and she moved to Texas. She was very unhappy and ended up shooting herself in the head, or at least that is the story I was told. I know if I was near her that never would have happened. I felt like I mourned her twice in a way. And in no way did I think I would lose her that soon after I almost already did. This song took me three years to write because it was so important, but also because I had a real tough grieving process and felt stuck. I am so happy with how it turned out. I am so confident that every lyric was the right lyric, and I am so grateful to have had the time with her that I did. Hopefully this song can convey the positive mark she has left on me and the world.”
Below, you can listen to This Is Love in its entirety via Soundcloud:
Elise Testone – This Is Love – Full Album
For more information about Elise Testone, head to her website here.