Toronto Star

Sheila E. wanted album ‘to stand for something’

Old ‘relevant’ songs revisited in Prince collaborat­or’s new collection of works

- KEVIN C. JOHNSON

The last couple of years, while working on two different albums, singer-percussion­ist Sheila E. realized she had to shift gears.

One of the albums was a dance record; the other was an album she felt compelled to make after longtime friend Prince died in 2016. (They were frequent collaborat­ors, and he’s credited with transformi­ng her career.)

“I was doing the dance record, and it was just about done,” she says. “It was fun, and I wanted to get it out. And then Prince passed away. I just shut down and started writing another record after his passing.”

Juggling those projects while watching the political climate, Sheila E., 59, figured “it was time to stand for something.”

“I couldn’t release a dance record,” she says. “That didn’t make sense. I couldn’t do the other record, either. There was too much going on.”

So she stashed those projects and refocused.

In response to what she calls a presidenti­al administra­tion of “lies, discrimina­tion, prejudice and institutio­nalized supremacy ,” Sheila E. has released Iconic: Message 4 America, in which she reimagines a number of classics by the likes of Marvin Gaye, the Beatles and Parliament-Funkadelic.

She hopes the songs work as a force of positive change. The set includes “Come Together” featuring Ringo Starr, “Everyday People” featuring Freddie Stone, “Jesus Children of America” featuring Israel Houghton, “JB Medley” featuring Bootsy Collins and “One Nation Under a Groove”/“Mothership Connection” featuring George Clinton.

The album also includes “America,” her remake of a Prince song that now features Candy Dulfer, and “Funky National Anthem: Message 2 America.”

“I needed to get a record out now,” she says. “I asked myself, ‘How can I get this done?’ I began listening to music from the ’60s and ’70s — songs that are still relevant.”

Rather than call what she has released an album of covers, she believes it makes a statement.

“These songs were important to me growing up and are important to me now. Lyrically, this is what I have to say, though I changed a few words here and there.”

Choosing the songs for Iconic: Message 4 America was a big undertakin­g. There are many that fit the bill.

“I made a list of 40 songs,” she says. “I said, ‘I know I can do this one, I know I can do that one. Which songs can I do justice to?’ ”

Sheila E. performs several of the new songs in her live show, including “One Nation Under a Groove” and “Everyday People,” “Inner City Blues”/”Trouble Man.” She also will deliver classics such as “The Glamorous Life,” “A Love Bizarre,” “Holly Rock” and “The Belle of St. Mark.”

She says part of her “ministry” at her concerts is about love.

“Love unites people. Hate divides people,” she says. “There’s 5,000 and 10,000 people at the shows, and it’s like a domino effect with people turning around and saying ‘I love you.’ It’s so powerful.”

 ?? NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES ?? Sheila E. is on the charts for the first time in 26 years with her new album Iconic: Message 4 America.
NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES Sheila E. is on the charts for the first time in 26 years with her new album Iconic: Message 4 America.

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