Words by LargeUp Crew—
Marley’s Mellow Mood has come up with a new way to “free the people with music,” launching a weekly free music download series, co-curated by LargeUp, dubbed Tune in Tuesdays. Each Tuesday, this link features a download of a new single from a different artist.
This week’s featured track is “Is It Too Late,” from Esprit de Corps, the Los Angeles-based duo of producer/musician Fred Card and vocalist Shock Mama Cherry. Though the group are relatively new, Fred and Cherry both have veteran chops—he’s a longtime collaborator of Earl Zero’s who has produced for Tanya Stephens among others, while Cherry is the soul singer formerly known as Cherokee. Together, the duo, who were recently featured in our Toppa Top 10 Artists to Watch for 2013, recently dropped their debut EP Be Easy, an are currently working on their debut album.
Sample/download “Is It Too Late” below, and read on for a quick interview with Shock Mama Cherry of Esprit de Corps.
Describe your sound in 20 words or less…
Our music is sexy, colorful, free and fun! it’s a cross between reggae meets pop with a touch of soul.
What role does your heritage play in your music?
Fred nor I are Jamaican however we have a mutual love for reggae music. I haven’t come across anyone who doesn’t love reggae. It’s universal. I grew up in Brooklyn around lots of Jamaicans and people from the tropics. Reggae has always been in my life but I never knew I’d one day be recording it. I guess I was destined to do it.
What can we expect to hear from you in the next year?
More soulful grooves and melodic lyrics. Whatever comes from the heart. Now that the EP is done, we’re going to keep performing as much as we can, sharing the EDC sound and finish up [our] album by spring. I’m sure we’ll be inspired by the audience we encounter to create some incredible material.
Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write “Is It Too Late”?
Most of the lyrics I write, like “Is It Too Late,” come from my life experiences. Whether it be a friend’s experience or my personal experience. I’m like an open book. My life is my greatest inspiration and my songs are my truth serum. But I would rather for the listener to incorporate their own experience when they listen to that song. I don’t want them to envision mine. I want the song to impact each listener in a different way. The song could be about love or something else you’re going through in your life.
What are your ultimate ambitions as a group?
Our ultimate ambition is to be on Top. To reach everyone across the globe and birth many smiles. To be the biggest act in the world by the end of this year. It would be an amazing accomplishment because some people don’t believe that our style of music can break through what’s popular right now. I know it can. And we will, slowly but surely.