Meet Ashley Guin

Who is Ashley Guin? Is she just another female R&B singer cut from the same cloth as many of her industry counterparts? Is she the catalyst for yet another déjà vu experience when you listen to her music? Is she just another pretty smile with pretty parts, but has no feeling, soul, or heart? Well, rest assured she’s nothing like the latter. Ashley’s that fresh cool breeze on a hot summer’s evening. She’s that reason you stay when you’re thinking about leaving. She’s that flip of the switch when you enter a dark room. She’s that kid’s excitement for the month of June. She’s a voice to be heard, she’s a touch to be felt. She’s Ashley Guin, and no one else.

This Birmingham, AL native bursts onto the music scene with her self-titled debut album, Ashley Guin, and she does so in the footsteps of a legacy left by many legendary singers. Birmingham and its neighboring cities in the “205” have been a breeding ground for great R&B and Soul singers. Eddie Levert of the O’Jays, Otis Williams, Eddie Kendricks, and Melvin Franklin of The Temptations, Lionel Richie and The Commodores, Nat King Cole, and The Controllers all have roots in the Heart of Dixie. This rich heritage has recently been thrust back into the limelight with the emergence of three American Idol finalists from Alabama; Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice, and most notably, The Velvet Bear, Ruben Studdard. Now, this beautiful rose, which has blossomed out of the fertile and soulful grounds of Birmingham is poised to make yet another mark on the nation’s heart.

Although Ashley is in her early twenties, she began her musical crusade at the tender age of three at Friendship Baptist Church in Birmingham. "There wasn’t many outside influences in my life. My parents were determined to mold me into the person God wanted me to be,” says Ashley. Gospel music has always been her inspiration and her foundation, but her love for the wide spectrum of the arts was nurtured through dance classes, theater, and piano lessons. Essentially, Guin is an old soul whose roots dig deep into the soils of the Southern Church; but from those roots, a tree has sprouted with branches that include Classical music, Jazz, R&B, and more. The majority of her performance experience was in theater and church, but somewhere along her journey, Ashley crossed paths with up-and-coming producer/songwriter, Alvin “Cornbread” Garrett.

Ashley and Cornbread met in Tuscaloosa, AL, his hometown, and instantly became friends. Alvin Garrett, founder of the Birmingham-based production company, Jiffee Mixed Music, saw her talent and began working with her on demos for other major artists. Through her relationship with Alvin “Cornbread” Garrett, who is also the bass guitarist and musical director for Ruben Studdard, Ashley began touring as a background singer for the Velvet Teddy Bear. After a while, Cornbread recognized that he was sitting on a jewel. So he wisely teamed up with her to produce her album. “I was in the studio with him writing and recording demos for other artists. Then, Alvin turned to me one day and said we should be working on my project. We started the very next day,” says Ashley. This epiphany was the beginning of a new phase of Ashley’s career as an artist.

Ashley’s desire to evolve from a singer to an artist was the perfect marriage to Cornbread’s desire to grow from a musician to a producer. Thus the chemistry between the two can be heard and felt throughout the project. The music on this compilation cannot be labeled as Neo-Soul, Pop, or Urban, but more of a hybrid of several different musical donors. Even though they’re all a part of a tightly gripped musical fist, each song has its own unique fingerprint. Songs like “Bad Friend” and “Super Lady” seem to have been spawned from the funky loins of James Brown and George Clinton. Whereas ballads like “Crayons” and “Make Me Feel Beautiful” have the DNA of today’s current Pop and Urban genetic code. One thing for sure is that you won’t get bored on this musical roller coaster which ends with a touch of Jazz in “At Home,” Contemporary Gospel in “When the Song Ends”, and some Outkastiness in “Mysterious.”

Although new on the music scene, Ashley has all the intentions of remaining true to herself. "I was always taught to speak my mind and draw my own conclusions about things," she says. "I come from a long line of strong women and no matter what the endeavor, I owe it to them and myself to preserve that legacy and my identity." More than likely, you won’t see Ashley in line for the “Drop-it-like-its-hot” Award.

With this debut album, Ashley hopes to uphold the rich tradition of soulful excellence expected from singers from the “205.” Based on initial reviews, oohs and aahs, and hugs and kisses, Ashley Guin is here to stay.

World . . . Meet Ashley Guin.