"Impressive... Sexy, sophisticated soul-chill."
- Bill Picture, San Francisco Examiner
"Distinctive... In a world in which R&B seems to roll off an assemby
line, Minga's chilled-out vibe is like a welcome summer breeze."
- Michael Oatman, Cleveland Free Times
"Minga oozes sensual R&B... File under 'must-have.'"
- Chris Nixon, San Diego Union-Tribune
"A chill-room goddess in waiting."
- Gerald Poindexter, MixLab
"Bumpin' beats, clever songcraft, and sexy, sassy vocals: Minga has it
all!"
- Rafe Gomez, Smooth Jazz CD101.9, New York
"A great addition to a groove collection..."
- MS, Vision Magazine
"An authentic urban artist... Minga's talent is the ability to reflect
the mood and ambiance of an evolving nocturnal scene."
- Clare Lewis, The Beacon
"A star is born!"
- Joerg Michael Schmitt, Sonic Soul
The initial connection is telling - a sensation so honest and genuine that it doesn't need tampering. You let it work you, slowly and surely. Parts of you warm and tingle. There's intensity, and amplification, and crescendo. Then the feeling fades. And you want to experience it all over again.
That's when you hit "rewind." That's when you press the "back" button. That's how you connect and reconnect with Minga - her voice, her vibe, and her music.
Minga is one of those rare artists with instant connectivity, a person who can break it down in da club, in the lounge, and in talking about music - when she hits "play" with charismatic candor. Asked about the creative process behind her sultry brand of neo-soul, she says: "Making music isn't as much a thing I do as it is a part of who I am - those deep down emotions which express themselves in beats and melodies... Like breathing, like sex - it's an instinct."
That instinct was first steeped in a heady blend of influences during Minga's childhood. Her mother, a Polish emigre brought to the US at age 11 because of her remarkable singing voice, and Minga's father, an American entrepreneur with a penchant for vintage vinyl, sparked what would become the singer/songwriter's love affair with jazz, pop and soul. "My mom was always singing, and my dad had an extensive collection of LPs, 78's and singles," recalls Minga. "A lot of truly great, truly timeless music was heard at my house Miles, Coltrane, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, Anita O'Day... Sarah Vaughn and Shirley Horn were my favorites."
Minga's atmospheric, autre garde artistry sensually wraps itself around such legacy, unveiling a sexy liaison between the tried-and-true and the very new. "I love old-school jazz and I love contemporary R&B, hip hop, and downtempo," she says. "And, basically, I'm an absorber of urban ambiance - like the vibe in a lounge or nightclub, scents from a coffee house, the body language of lovers in a restaurant, or a bass line coming from someone else's car stereo. Little moments like those are my biggest inspiration."
During the recording of Flipside, Minga's estimable skills in expressing that inspiration - as a vocalist, composer, and lyricist - garnered interest from musicians near and far. In addition to the collaborative gestalt of Danny de la Isla and AbombDLC (co-writer/co-producer of "Easy For You"), Flipside boasts the unique talents of San Francisco native Robert Westlind (guitar/bass), New Yorker Anilh Rameshwar (trumpet), and Texas-born-and-bred Jerry Gallardo (drums). Special guests in the recording studio included Dave Montgomery (saxophone), Meagan Phillips (clarinet), and San Diego Music Award recipient Alfred Howard (spoken word).
"I had a lot of fun making this CD," says Minga. "The performances were uninhibited, and the studio itself was dark, lush, and loose - like an underground New York club with interesting people rolling in and out. What started out as a group of strangers became crew, and the connection between the people and the ambience and the music was amazing. I think that ambience - that connection - comes through on Flipside. I hope everyone feels it when they listen to my music."