Syleena Johnson

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• Genre: Neo-Soul
• Hometown: Chicago

About

Syleena Johnson is as easily defined by what she isn't as what she is. She's not as exhuberantly precocious as upstart newbies like Alicia Keys, nor is she as dancefloor-based as gravel-voiced veterans like Mary J. Blige. Nor is she a new-generation singer casting back into Soul's past for inspiration. Her roots in Soul are sturdy: she's the daughter of "Take Me To The River"'s Syl Johnson. You can hear him in her relentlessly rooted delivery and a gravelly voice that recalls the era when Soul hadn't yet shaken off its Gospel roots. Johnson released her major label debut Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness in 2001 to critical accolades but muted popular interest, despite a lead single ("I Am Your Woman") penned by R. Kelly.

- Sarah Bardeen