Indie musical artist Barsheem Fowler, also known by the mononym Barsheem, releases A Major EP, a prelude to his up-and-coming debut album, What Is To Be Major that’s scheduled to be released in 2014. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Barsheem grew up in a household where sounds from Motown artists played continually. The soulful crooner embodies the essence of classic records with a musical style comparable to Marvin Gaye, his idol and number one inspiration. Other singing legends that Barsheem credits as his influences include, Michael Jackson, Prince, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Babyface. As a singer-songwriter, producer, and arranger, Barsheem writes wholesome, down-to-earth music (a rarity in this day and age) which showcases a beautiful fusion of Jazz, R&B, Pop and Soul. His music has been featured on The Melting Pot restaurant webisodes and is receiving major airplay on internet radio stations like 106.5 FM IN2beats in the UK, soulandjazz.com, 104.9 FM Jamm in Amsterdam and One Luv FM Radio. To date, the EP has received 20,000 downloads and has also garnered the attention of Grammy Award winning jazz singer Dianne Reeves, who has expressed her admiration for (White World, Black World) Find Happy and Barsheem’s rendition of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s version of If This World Were Mine.
Barsheem’s music also received recognition and praise from Marvin Gaye’s family; both Nona and Janis Gaye, the late singer’s daughter and second wife, reached out to Barsheem via twitter to express their appreciation. Their love for his music led to an invitation for him to perform at Marvin Gaye’s 74th birthday celebration which was an extraordinary event for Barsheem to partake in. Prior to delving deeper into his musical career, Barsheem earned credibility as an actor on NBC’s American Dreams as Stephen Caldwell of The Orlons quartet and soul singer, Bobby Freeman. He also portrayed a member of singing group, Little Albert & The Trutones, in the award winning musical drama film, Dreamgirls. Each role featured Barsheem doing what he does best (crooning) so it’s no coincidence why his performances in each role were nothing less than above average. The five track EP bubbles with themes of love, peace and happiness featuring exceptional production by Tauros Music Producers; Tauros & Klean, and is written by Barsheem himself. The EP kicks off with (White World, Black World) Find Happy, an optimistic track that addresses racism and the pursuit of happiness. Here, Barsheem urges everyone to just get along while delivering smooth vocals over a jazzy, up-tempo beat, he croons, “white world have a heart and be kind to your brother/show him respect and let him live his life in peace to find happy, find happy/black world have a heart and be kind to each other/live with the confidence of love and unity and find happy, find happy.” The similarity in sound between Barsheem and his idol Marvin Gaye on this song is undeniable. The song closes on a soft note and If This World Were Mine opens with Barsheem singing in his sensual second tenor voice over a mid-tempo, hip-hop and R&B fused beat. The track is lovable and has a more classic-meets-contemporary sound to it than any other track on the EP.
On I Need You My Life, the singer brags to his love interest about why he is the right man for her while expressing to her that she is the one for him. I got style, I’ve got cool, I got sexy from my head to my shoes/I got things baby, now all I need is you. On the uber romantic Now, which comes across as a sequel to I Need You In My Life, Barsheem sings odes to the love of his life, while professing his love for her, “You know I adore you, you’re everything, your smile and your fingers control my heart strings/whenever you leave me I’m sad and afraid/time stands still when, when you are away. This track, which showcases Barsheem’s crafty skills as a songwriter at best, includes innuendos of matrimony and is guaranteed to sweep any woman off of her feet. It is the ideal record to play at an engagement party or wedding celebration. The EP closes gracefully with the slow-tempo but impressive No One. The song begins and follows through with the muffled, prolonged plinking of a piano as the singer talks about his better half and intimate moments shared with her. Despite coming across as a little too wholesome at certain points, A Major EP is a pretty good teaser for What Is To Major. If the LP is as good as the EP, Barsheem may be on his way to becoming a household name, just like the late idol who inspires him most. Download A Major EP here.