Soul music fans are already familiar with Grammy winning songwriter, producer and keyboardist James Poyser. We’ve all nodded our heads to the music he’s done with The Roots, Common, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, Al Green, Anthony Hamilton, Musiq Soulchild, Queen Latifah and a myriad of groundbreaking artists. He’s a member of the Soulquarians, a soul/hip hop collective featuring Questlove, J Dilla (RIP), D’Angelo, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Bilal, Q-Tip, Common & Erykah Badu, and can currently be seen on TV playing keys for The Roots as part of Jimmy Fallon’s house band. The super producer introduces his latest project The ReBeL Yell, along with partners Khari Ferrari Mateen (The Roots, J*DaVeY, Skillz) and vocalist SupaStar (I Don’t Care” from the Roots’ album The Tipping Point).

They describe The ReBeL Yell’s new album “Love & War”:
“Strawberry Fields”-era Beatles psychedelia gets pitched into fidgety urban grooves; electro booty beats meet dark, System-inspired synths, a la “Don’t Disturb This Groove”; hazy live band tracks get dotted into the mix and production techniques and sounds more readily associated with house music get lifted and re-appropriated in entirely new ways.

Rebellious enough for you? Listen to some of their tracks on myspace as you consider this statement about their album.

You can’t categorize this album – it’s misfit R&B, taking a stand against black music stereotypes and life’s clichés as well, a rebel yell against uniformity and rulebooks. And, under Poyser’s disciplined direction, it’s a revolution for everyone.

Members of the ReBeL Yell will be joining The Roots on stage at Highline Ballroom in NYC for their weekly residency. Look for “James Poyser presents The ReBel Yell- Love & War” on BBE/Rapster in August 2009.

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