Hollins Steele, the Brooklyn pop/rock duo of Dayna Hollins and Benny Steele, have released their first full-length CD, "Songs from Vanderbilt Avenue", which features sparkling production and an all-star talent line-up. The album was written, arranged [+]Hollins Steele, the Brooklyn pop/rock duo of Dayna Hollins and Benny Steele, have released their first full-length CD, "Songs from Vanderbilt Avenue", which features sparkling production and an all-star talent line-up. The album was written, arranged, recorded, produced and mixed by the multi-talented pair at The Steele Factory, the recording studio in Brooklyn, which they co-own and operate. On the 13 original tracks, listeners will find a rich blend of strong grooves, Hollins' sweet vocals, and a slick, sophisticated twist on contemporary pop production. Blending the best of the old with the freshest of the new, stand-out tracks include the powerfully swelling, orchestra-accented, "Falling" and the beat-driven, smart-rock approach of "Tongue Tied".
Songs from Vanderbilt Avenue features a heavy-hitting lineup of top-name musicians accompanying Hollins' vocals and Steele's drumming/percussion/keyboards, including Matt Beck (Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas) on guitar; Booker King (Santana, Kelis) on bass; Michael Cain (Meshell N'DegeOcello, Jack DeJohnette) on keys/piano; and Daniel Sadownick (Steely Dan, Meshell N'DegeOcello) on percussion.
Hollins and Steele met while attending an East Coast music conservatory; Dayna Hollins studying to be a classical singer while Benny Steele trained as a jazz drummer. Their musical backgrounds were worlds apart, but upon forming a friendship, the two realized they shared a common musical goal. "We want to put the meat back on the bones of pop music," explains Hollins, "and with our varied musical backgrounds and training, we quickly discovered that we were a perfect pairing to do just that. For me, it was ideal to move away from singing someone else's writings from centuries ago, to expressing my own contemporary ideas and emotions. And it makes for a more relatable song as well." Soon after they started writing together, Dayna and Benny signed a licensing deal with Red Bull Energy drink for international advertising purposes.
The pair invested in a recording studio on Vanderbilt Avenue in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, which not only grew into a successful business, but also helped in developing the sound and creative partnership that has become Hollins Steele. "Songs From Vanderbilt Avenue" was two ye
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