Groove Stu

Man, it's been forever since we heard from Groove Stu – and during that time, they've really grown a lot! This excellent set is full of soul and charm right from the very first night – a very unique nu school harmony record – yet done without any chart cliches or some of the overdone styles you'd find in other male groups – thanks partly to the obvious maturity of these guys! The harmonies are great, and the vocal interplay is really fresh – upbeat, positive, and set to these slightly jazzy tunes that take off with a great deal of warmth. Titles include "Thing Called Love", "Back In The Day", "Ebony Superstar", "Places", "Get Right", "Come & Go With Me", and "Perfect Time". © 1996-2012, Dusty Groove, Inc. - Dusty Groove

Man, it's been forever since we heard from Groove Stu – and during that time, they've really grown a lot! This excellent set is full of soul and charm right from the very first night – a very unique nu school harmony record – yet done without any chart cliches or some of the overdone styles you'd find in other male groups – thanks partly to the obvious maturity of these guys! The harmonies are great, and the vocal interplay is really fresh – upbeat, positive, and set to these slightly jazzy tunes that take off with a great deal of warmth. Titles include "Thing Called Love", "Back In The Day", "Ebony Superstar", "Places", "Get Right", "Come & Go With Me", and "Perfect Time". © 1996-2012, Dusty Groove, Inc. - Dusty Groove

Groove Stu can now be seen as one of the veterans of the soul scene. The quartet band has been together since 1999, when neo-soul was at its zenith, and they have seen their share of music artists come and go over that time. Longevity has a special place for a band, and with their latest album release, Artofficial Substance, the members of Groove Stu appears to be just hitting their stride.
The band, consisting of vocalist/keyboardist Omar Sharif, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Robert Levine, vocalist Jerrod Simpson and saxophonist Brandon Moultrie, sought to chart a new frontier with the album. But while Artofficial Substance seeks to move music forward, it mainly pays a visit to the past. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The first two tracks, “Thing Called Love” and “Take a Chance,” give you some insight into what Groove Stu is known for: experimental, jazzy soul that stretches from mellow to lively mid-tempo in a live instrumentation package. But the band switches things up on “Make Believe,”swinging to a mid-1990’s hip-hop/R&B flavor and delivering whatcould easily be the standout first single for radio. The album continues to set adrift on memory bliss of 90’s hip-hop influenced R&B for six tracks, giving a mixture of slow and mid-tempo tunes. It isn’t until “Thing Called Love Interlude” that you hear what Groove Stu cut its teeth on: a very organized jam session of jazzy soul sounds.
After the interlude, Groove Stu digs deeper, going back to its 1980’s R&B roots with some tunes that bring back memories of some of the top producers in during that period. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’s influence can clearly be heard on “For You.” The piece de resistance, however, is the grooving and syncopated “Celebration.” A frequent criticism of today’s soul and R&B is that it lacks syncopation; what some call boogie. With “Celebration” however, Groove Stu catches lightning in a bottle and unfurls a funky tune. Never a band to be boxed in, Groove Stu gives some house and a funky track on the last two songs to endArtofficial Substance on a grooving note.
The problems that bands like Groove Stu face aren’t theirs but instead relate to the music scene around them over the past decade. Whereas Mint Condition garnered a loyal fan base in the mid-90s – a fan base that has remained with them even as radio play became tougher, Groove Stu never had that luxury. As popular radio has changed, bands like Groove Stu have been left to get in where they fit in. But as music fans continue to find new ways to hear music via the internet and mobile, one hopes that there will be opportunities for them to discover the quality music ofa talented band like Groove Stu. Recommended.
By Gabriel Rich
- SoulTracks

Omar Sharif of the American band 'Groove Stu' did send me their album for a review which I received just before my holiday. Normally my approach is to skip the tracks on a CD to get a first Impression. But this time I used a different approach. I listened to the CD when cruising to Austria for my yearly holiday with my family. This album made me very relaxed, even for my kids;-) The miles/km flew by. It was apparently a good idea to do it this way.

The journey starts with the first great track on this album 'Thing Called Love' a song with beautiful vocal harmonies. Next track 'Take A Chance' has the same ingredients as the previous track, nice guitar licks and vocals.The Featherstones produced track #3 'Make Believe'. The string arrangements on this track are smooth, the same is true for their other slow production 'Where I Wanna Be' (one of my favorites). 'Perfect Time' is a track that Groove Stu collaborated with an other producer name JSOUL. It results in quiet but still a heavy track due to the drums. The next two tracks 'Back In The Day' and 'Ebony Superstar' are urban style songs the latter produced by The Institution. An other favorite Track is #8 'Places' that could be a 'Tony! Toni! Tone!' tune. Mellow, great vocal arrangements. Groove Stu is an all-round group they could not only play great soul, urban tunes but also superb Jazz. Check #10 'Ain't Worth A Thing' and the following track 'How You Want This?'. Full of Jazz instruments Organ, Jazz, Piano etc. My absolute favorite track of this CD is track #12 'For You'. A very smooth production with beautiful vocals and instrumentation. It's just one of 'Surface' productions (happy). With this track on my radio I drove my car in a trance, after it finished I think I missed about 10KM ;-) 'Make It last' is also a soulful track with nice music harmonies. 'Celebration' is funky track so is the last track on this album, the Prince look-a-Like tune 'Come & Go With Me'. I forgot to mention the great Dance track 'Get Right' an absolute killer tune. My holiday did start very well with this album by 'Groove Stu'.

The Band 'Groove Stu' consist of vocalist/keyboardist Omar Sharif, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Robert Levine, vocalist Jerrod Simpson, and saxophonist Brandon Moultrie. Their first album was called 'Authentic 4.10 Sessions' released in 2003. They also released a concert DVD called 'Live and Direct' from Baltimore in 2006. The planned 2010 'Still Here' project was aborted and never released but several songs from that project did make it onto the Artofficial Substance project.. Now they are back with a new set of 16 hot tracks on their brand new album.

This album by 'Groove Stu' is a great mix of Quiet Storm, Soul, Urban, Jazz, Funk and Dance tunes. 'Groove Stu' is set to release their new album "Artofficial Substance" on September 18, 2012.

Check Groove Stu's website http://www.groovestu.com/

Mark Berbiers Soulandfunkmusic.com
- Soulandfunkmusic.com

The new album of Groove Stu is entitled "Artofficial Substance". You will find sixteen sweet tracks on the album including the interlude of "Thing Called Love". It is a great follow up of the "Authentic 4.10 Sessions" album.

Groove Stu members are: keyboardist/singer Omar Sharif, vocalist Jerrod Simpson, saxophonist Brandon Moultrie and multi-instrumentalist and drummer Robert Levine. This quartet has found a great blend of music to keep the groove going. Hiphop,soul,jazz,pop,funk and rock are the elements of the album "Artofficial Substance".

The albums starts with the excellent love song "Thing Called Love". It sets the tone for the rest of the album. The lyrics are great, Omar Sharif has a lovely voice and the meldody is perfect. In "Make Believe" the rhythmically swaying harmonies on the hiphop beat will make you feel so good. The perfect R&B song on the album is "Perfect Time" with vocalist Jerrod Simpson. It is lovely to dream away on the tracks "Where I Wanna Be" and "Places". If you wanna get down on it you have to listen to "Get Right". A brilliant track a bit in the style of Earth Wind and Fire is "Celebration". It gets funky on it. But you can really hype the funk in "Come & Go With Me".(TA)

Stand Out Tracks: Thing Called Love, Make Believe, Perfect Time, Where I Wanna Be, Places, How U Want This, For U, Celebration, Get Right, Come & Go With Me
- SaveOurSoul

The seven-piece outfit Groove Stu is more agile than it really has any right to be. Able to settle into a hip-hop bob-and-weave ("The Anthem"), silky neo-soul ("Anything"), slow-jam bedroom bump and grind ("Cool With U"), classic '70s soul burn ("WLOV Radio"), bluesy R&B ("Am I Dreaming"), or easygoing reggae bounce ("True Independence"), Groove Stu acts like it can serve up whatever mood hits it. It helps that principal--"principal" only because just about everybody hits the microphone at some point--vocalists Tiffany Countess, Omar Sharif, and Jerrod Simpson can handle any tempo or style thrown at them. Countess especially has a chameleon voice that's comfortable playing the velvety vibrato in "Ummm," the smoky vamp in "Curiosity," or the Peaches to Sharif's Herb in "Am I Dreaming."

But none of it would fly if the band couldn't pull the sound off, and in this respect the band is aptly named. This septet can kick up a groove--any old kind it chooses. From the one-two hip-hop shuffle of "Something" to the honeyed syncopation of "Gone 4 Good," the band never misses a beat, overplays, or gets in the way of whatever mood it wants to set. And if you've seen this all-purpose soul machine live, you know Groove Stu can get down as thoroughly as it cools down. Visit www.groovestu.com for more information.
- Baltimore City Paper

By Rashod D. Ollison
Sun Pop Music Critic

February 7, 2004

There's just enough room to jam. The dimly lighted studio on Franklintown Road is packed with instruments, microphones, metal chairs and amplifiers. Thick cords snake across the dingy carpet. Life-sized black-and-white posters of Miles Davis and Dexter Gordon adorn the red brick walls.

It's around 2 on a marrow-freezing Saturday afternoon. But the ice-slick streets don't deter Groove Stu from rehearsing. Pulling off coats and caps, the nine members file in - slapping fives, hugging and teasing one another. The talk is jive and profane but loving, familiar. All of it ceases as each member warms up his instrument.

Pretty soon, things get seriously funky in this cramped space.

Groove Stu is an urban soul group from Baltimore. For three years now, the band, which plays Fletcher's tonight, has been toiling away in a city with no fervent "scene" - a string of diverse venues or a cluster of recording studios where artists and producers work regularly.

And it's been that way for years. The Charm City has produced many talents: Billie Holiday, Maysa and Dru Hill are just a few. But to "make it," to snag recording contracts and other career opportunities, those artists left the city. Holiday was the toast of New York City throughout the '30s and '40s. Jazz-soul stylist Maysa, the former lead singer for the British band Incognito, is more celebrated overseas. And Dru Hill's multiplatinum success in the mid '90s still didn't bring much attention to B'more.

Groove Stu hopes to change that. With its music and unwavering allegiance to its hometown, the band wants to put the city on the musical map. "We wanna do what the Roots did for Philly," says group founder and bassist Myron Missouri. "In the '90s, [the hip-hop band] played around Philly with folks like Musiq, Jill Scott, Jaguar Wright. They produced D'Angelo and Erykah Badu. They pretty much made a scene in Philly. And when they broke, they took everybody with 'em. That's what we wanna do with Groove Stu: Bring some attention to the city, 'cause there's so much talent here."

The independent band released its debut, Authentic 4.10 Sessions, in September. A well-produced, nicely packaged set of urban love ballads and slick midtempo joints, the album has been popular on the Internet, and singles from the record - "I Don't Know" and "Cool With U" - have charted high on station lists in Belgium and Japan. Even with that success, the band receives almost zilch local support.

"There aren't as many venues that promote live music," says Omar Sharif, the band's co-founder and lead keyboardist. "And there aren't any black-owned venues here that would be open to the kind of music we do. Radio is also very hard to break into, because a lot of the major stations are owned by big corporate companies like Clear Channel. That makes it hard for local talent to get any play on these stations."

Fletcher's, Organic Soul Tuesday on West Saratoga Street and the Funk Box are basically the only local clubs where Groove Stu and similar bands find work. In trying to carve out a place within the narrow parameters of the city's music scene, where punk and house are the predominant styles, Groove Stu is certainly not alone.

"There's a lack of transient energy in Baltimore, and it's not a rich place, either," says local singer-musician Niela (pronounced Ny-EE-luh). The urban-rock artist has shared the stage with Groove Stu. "It's not a city that's open to different stuff. If you're not doing what's on the radio or some club stuff, it's seems that nobody is trying to hear you."

And as Groove Stu's rapper Jerrod Simpson says, "It's like crabs in a barrel, man. Everybody here who's making music is trying to be the first to break out, the first to make it out. So they're not trying to reach back and bring attention to the city. But Baltimore is my home. I'm probably one of the few who love it here."

Missouri chimes in, "We're gonna make it happen here. It hasn't been easy; it won't be easy. And it's not like we haven't talked about leaving. But none of us can just up and move."

The other members of the group are Earl Campbell (the energetic drummer with wiry hair), Ramel Nicholson (the second keyboardist; he doesn't talk much), Tony Love (the dreadlocked guitarist with intense eyes), Antiwan Decatur (the friendly percussionist), Jerrita Davis (sweet-voiced back-up singer) and Tiffany Countess (stylish lead vocalist).

A self-contained band is a throwback of sorts in modern R&B. The genre is mostly producer-driven these days. Back in the '70s, though, the charts were crowded with groups that often produced, wrote and performed its own material: the Commodores, the Bar-Kays, Con Funk Shun, Brass Construction. Groove Stu, whose members are in their mid to late 20s, extends the spirit of those bands.

Sort of. Like the R&B units of yesterday, Groove Stu blends various styles. In the mix, you find hip- - Baltimore Sun

Groove Stu is a band from Baltimore. The group consists of six young men and a young lady. They have a beautiful album out now called "Authentic 4.10 Sessions". The last track is a vivid dancehall freedom song. When you start listening to the album you might think you'll hear a lot of hiphop and rap songs. But pretty soon you'll find out that you're wrong because in spite of the RnB grooves of Gone4Good and Ummm the rest of the album is pure solid soul. You'll definitely enjoy the lovely and bright voice of songstress Tiffany Countess. It's all surrounded by the warm and dark sound of producers Groove Stu and Demitri McDaniel. While dreaming away with Tiffany you'll discover that Earth Wind & Fire and The Isley Brothers are some of Groove Stu's idols. What you also will discover is the voice of Omar Sharif. What a blessing for the band to have these two wonderful singers. - saveoursoul.com

I cannot recommend this album highly enough! The 'meat' (I am a vegetarian, so I guess 'filling'! LOL) in the sandwich is quite outstanding. Tracks from 5 through to 11 are quite exceptional. 7 beautiful songs, with these guys showcasing their vocal stylings that prove that they will endure and, I believe, will become highly successful. Some lovely harmonies with 'Curiosity', 'Cool With U' and 'Am I Dreaming?' shining out from the line-up. From Baltimore, this group have a bright future, I believe. Real singers, real instruments, just remember, you need to set the remote at track 5 and take proceedings from there. Dismiss at your peril, however. These songs are the bees knees (big compliment in the U.K.). On Soul Theory Music, check their site at www.groovestu.com.
- Soulwalking.co.uk

It is keyboardist Omar Sharif who gets to sing the real gem of this CD: Cool with U, a creamy floater reminiscent of Kloud 9’s late-night ballads. It is actually one of the smoothest soul tunes I’ve come across this year. Other soulful tracks include Maybe Tonight, an agreeable midtempo plodder, and Anything, a moody quiet stormer with some freaky synth lines.

Kimmo Heikkinen
- www.kolumbus.fi/soulxpr/

Just who is this new group called Groove Stu I'm sure you're asking myself. Well they hail from the same state as Dru Hill's Sisqo (Baltimore, Maryland to be precise) and 'musically' they are for real in the realist sense of the word.
On review here is their excellent rendition of the Atlantic Starr classic 'Am I Dreaming'. The song starts with a faded into intro that leads to soothing harmonizing vocals and misty strings. Once into the song you're treated to a strong vocal performance from Tiffany who does seems to possess some pipes on her. Production is top class on this and if this song is any indication of what you can get on the full length, then you won't be disappointed I can tell you. Be sure to give this song a listen to and request it frequent and often once you hear it because it 's truly one of the better remakes I've heard in a long time - A TY-D Pick indeed.
- www.TYDMusic.com

It is keyboardist Omar Sharif who gets to sing the real gem of this CD: Cool with U, a creamy floater reminiscent of Kloud 9’s late-night ballads. It is actually one of the smoothest soul tunes I’ve come across this year. Other soulful tracks include Maybe Tonight, an agreeable midtempo plodder, and Anything, a moody quiet stormer with some freaky synth lines.

Kimmo Heikkinen
- www.kolumbus.fi/soulxpr/