| Icon is the seventh studio album by Sheila E., her first on Moosicus Records, released on 4 November 2013 in France and in the rest of Europe on 8 November 2013. The album includes twelve songs written by Sheila E., and one song co-written by Prince: Leader Of The Band. 3 bonus songs are available on the 2 LP vinyl version of the album.
The album doesn’t include any contributions by Prince other than on Leader Of The Band, which marks Prince’s first appearance on a Sheila E. album since 1987’s Sheila E..
Sessions and compiling
While specific recording dates are not known, basic tracking is likely to have taken place from 2005 to late 2012 in Oakland and its surroundings. Leader Of The Band was first intended for an album Sheila E. was working on with her family (The E Family). That album, Now & Forever, was released in 2011 but Leader Of The Band was not included and was kept for Sheila E.’s solo album.
Promotion
Icon was preceded in 2010 by a limited edition EP From E 2 U, which featured Mona Lisa, Waters of Life and Leader Of The Band. Leader Of The Band was also available as a promotional single in October 2013, shortly before the album’s release.
In late March 2014, just four months after the album’s release, it was re-released with an alternate cover and in a different track sequence, with three additional tracks. The re-release was initially a digital-only release, but a CD was subsequently released also. To coincide with the re-release, Mona Lisa was released as a single, followed by Mona Lisa (Mychael Gabriel Remix).
|
|
Track listing
|
| CD
|
LP
|
|
Details given for Prince-related tracks only:
- Butterfly (Interlude)
- Mona Lisa - featuring Lucia Parker and Gisa Vatcky
- Lovely Day
- I’ll Give You That
- RockStar - featuring Bobby G.
- Samba (Interlude)
- Nasty Thang - featuring MC Lyte
- Leader Of The Band (4:35) - featuring Prince and The E Family 1
- Turn It Around (Interlude)
- Girl Like Me - featuring Ledisi
- Who I Am Now
- Old Skool - featuring Eddie M. and J.a.i. "The Profit"
- Now Is The Hour (Interlude) - featuring Moms Escovedo
Also available on Digital format on:
- Amazon.co.uk; iTunes; Virgin Media.
CD 2014 Reissue
- Butterfly
- Mona Lisa - featuring Lucia Parker and Gisa Vatcky
- Fiesta - featuring B.Slade
- Lovely Day
- I’ll Give You That
- Who I Am Now
- Leader Of The Band (4:35) - featuring Prince and The E Family 1
- RockStar - featuring Bobby G.
- Nasty Thang - featuring MC Lyte
- Don't Make Me
- Old Skool - featuring Eddie M. and J.a.i. "The Profit"
- Turn It Around
- Girl Like Me - featuring Ledisi
- Born And Raised
- Oakland N Da House - featuring Eddie M.
- Now Is The Hour - featuring Moms Escovedo
|
Details given for Prince-related tracks only:
Side A:
- Butterfly (Interlude)
- Mona Lisa - featuring Lucia Parker and Gisa Vatcky
- Lovely Day
- I’ll Give You That
Side B:
- RockStar - featuring Bobby G.
- Samba (Interlude)
- Nasty Thang - featuring MC Lyte
- Leader Of The Band (4:35) - featuring Prince and The E Family 1
- Turn It Around (Interlude)
Side C:
- Girl Like Me - featuring Ledisi
- Who I Am Now
- Old Skool - featuring Eddie M. and J.a.i. "The Profit"
- Now Is The Hour (Interlude) - featuring Moms Escovedo
Side D:
- Waters Of Life (Bonus Track)
- Surrender (Bonus Track)
- Fiesta (Bonus Track) - featuring B.Slade
|
|
All songs written by Sheila E. except where indicated.
1 Written by Prince & Sheila E.
|
|
Personnel
|
| Musicians
|
- Sheila E. - lead and background vocals, drums, timbales, bongos, percussion
- Prince - background vocals, keyboards
- Cat Gray - background vocals, keyboards, bass, congas, percussion, mixing
- Lynn Mabry - background vocals
- Pete Escovedo - vocal intro, percussion
- Juan Escovedo - percussion
- Peter Michael Escovedo - percussion
- Eddie M. - saxophone
- Joel Behrman - trumpet
|
| Production
|
- Sheila E. - production, arrangements
- Cat Gray - mixing, arrangements
|
| Thanks
|
- To my wonderful special guests: Ledesi, MC Lyte, Moms Escovedo, The E. Family: Pops, Juan, Peter Michael, Prince, Cat Gray, Lynn Mabry, J.A.i "Tha Profit", Bobby G., Gisa Vatcky, Lucia Parker"
|
|
2013: The Electric Lady ◄
