Jhelisa is a diva with a difference…A liberating experience

– The Guardian

The incomparable Jhelisa marks an incredible 30 years since the release of her acclaimed and celebrated debut album ‘Galactica Rush’ by releasing a new version of the album that has been beautifully remastered in Hi Res Audio by Miles Showell at Abbey Road from the original analogue Masters and cut at half speed onto Vinyl, out on 26th September, the very day it was released 30 years ago on Dorado Records.

The musical maverick Jhelisa originally released her debut in 1994 on Dorado. It was quickly hailed as a masterpiece by the media, from The Guardian, Time Out, i-D, NME, MOJO, Mixmag to Musicweek, ‘Galactica Rush’ became one of the greatest neo soul, jazz funk and trip hop albums of all time and a seminal essential for the record collector. With carte blanche to unapologetically make the album her way, Jhelisa wrote and co-produced ‘Galactica Rush’ herself, which was a rarity at the time. ‘Galactica Rush’ was incredibly influential on a number of artists that came after Jhelisa, both in the UK, US and around the world.

LISTEN TO ‘GALACTICA RUSH’ HERE:

The album features standout songs like title track ‘Galactica Rush’ a free jazz opus featuring the virtuosic sax of Greg Osby, ‘Whirl Keeps Turning’, ‘Hold My Peace’, ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Death Of A Soul Diva’ which was covered by friend and collaborator Chaka Khan, and the unforgettable, timeless ‘Friendly Pressure’, which generated multiple remixes, bootlegs and millions of streams, with a huge boost earlier this year when the Sunship ‘Into The Sunshine’ remix went viral on TikTok achieving over 1billion views, nearly 500k creations, a TikTok dance trend and over 500k streams daily, the track is currently at No.5 in the UK Club Chart.

Jhelisa, who GQ dubbed ‘Cosmic princess of soul’, has been marching through uncharted musical territories since the mid-1990s when she stunned audiences and critics with both her extraordinary voice and deliciously daring music. Mississippi-born Jhelisa comes from a musical family and is the niece of funk pioneers Vicki Anderson and Bobby Byrd from the James Brown band, and the cousin of Carleen Anderson.

Through the course of 4 solo albums released on seminal London label Dorado Records, Jhelisa has journeyed through soul, trip hop, jazz, avant-garde, gospel and esoteric sonic experimentations. Jhelisa was close to the late great Jeff Buckley early in her career, who played guitar in her band and featured on early recordings. She has been the go-to vocalist for the likes of Bjork, Massive Attack and The Shamen, and toured with James Brown, The Roots, Herbie Hancock, Sting, and recorded with Chaka Khan and Bryan Ferry. Her thrillingly genre-smashing approach to music subverts her sweet, sensual voice with emotionally raw, spiritually resonant lyrics and a musical sophistication seen nowhere else. In 2022, Jhelisa surprise released ‘Oxygen’, a track from her forthcoming album, which Gilles Peterson hailed “She’s back… the return of Jhelisa… extraordinarily brilliant… well worth the wait”. Jhelisa is currently working on her fifth studio album ‘Wild Orbits’, expected in 2025.

Jhelisa said:

Recording and releasing ‘Galactica Rush’ 30 years ago was uncharted territory. All the players on this album were contributors to my new found freedom. Dorado Records with Ollie Buckwell at the helm of directing this music into the world, into what has become our global music scene, all connected through resonating sounds that bring us together under a universal groove. The supporters of this album made Galactica Rush become somewhat of a talisman, gaining energy with each new listener that decided to make it a part of their record collections, a coveted place to be, on the turntables, spinning, the radio waves, travelling, in the homes and hearts of people who are nourished by this music…I am eternally grateful for this gift to share, this gift that keeps on giving 30 years later as it inhabits the youth of today, who have rediscovered my music through it going viral on Tik Tok, giving me 150 million new listeners. I am amazed at how music travels through time and the way a voice can carry over millions of miles across the world…I marvel at the Galactica Rush of it all. Here’s to 30 Years… Blessings!

 

‘Galactica Rush’ was remastered from the original Analog Master by award-winning engineer Miles Showell (The Beatles, Amy Winehouse, Abba, Portishead) at Abbey Road in High Res Audio and remixed by Jimmy Douglass (Aretha Franklin, Jay-Z, Timbaland, Missy Elliott) in Dolby Atmos.