Known as Germany’s Queen of soul, JOY DENALANE still floats under the radar here in the U.S. even though she’s been doing it since her first release in 2002, “Mamani”. Primarily performed in her country language her 2006 follow up, “Born and Raised”, was mainly in English and recorded in Philadelphia, featuring guests appearances by Lupe Fiasco and Raekwon. Producer heavyweights like James Poyser jumped on board after hearing her sweet vocals on Common’s “Go”-Remix.

We first discovered her on the underground conscious driven fire-gem “Soweto ’76-06′ which still rocks the party til today and almost certainly gets a few heads walking up to the DJ booth inquiring who the artist is. She’s now back with a new English album, “Maureen”, and has stayed true to her modern meets classic soul with influences of her South African roots and American RnB. Just the right amount of polish and grit, this record should appeal to soul lovers underground and main.