b. 1969, Bordentown, New Jersey, USA. Dionne Farris took a brave decision in 1994 to leave Grammy award winners Arrested Development, where she was an ‘extended family member’, choosing instead to set out on a solo trail with an album that spanned funk, rock, soul and jazz. Her first single, ‘I Know’, charted strongly in both the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Billboard charts. The only problem was that certain R&B stations and magazines did not respond to the presence of guitars in her work, while rock outlets thought her too ‘pop’. Nevertheless, the album ended up in many critics’ picks of 1994, while her marketing problems were addressed the following year by touring both alternative and urban R&B clubs on alternate nights. An appearance on the television programme Saturday Night Live preceded the May release of ‘Don’t Ever Touch Me (Again)’. Her debut album was an assured collection of highly charged songs, played with her group of musicians who include the highly original guitarist/musical arranger David Harris. The varied content underlines Farris’ influences - she cites James Taylor, Nancy Wilson and Chaka Khan - hence the disparate yet cohesive content. From the Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ to her own gutsy ‘Passion’, complete with heavy metal guitar, Farris is an exciting prospect.
