Give Us Free Records: Press

State College Magazine article on Dr. E by Dave Higgins (May 2007)

Dr. E and Fleshcoat give adults their soul
By Camille Yvette Welsch, for the CDT
In August, Atlanta hosted the first annual Soul Music Summit, an attempt to bring artists of neo-soul together to make connections, make music and make history. The summit also tried to discover artists to bolster the scant number of soul musicians in the mainstream, such as Angie Stone, Jill Scott and India.Arie. Indeed, lovers of soul have to look hard to find acts bands worthy of the soul title.
Thankfully, Fleshcoat Featuring Dr. E, a band fronted by Penn State associated professor of English and applied linguistics Elaine Richardson, has taken up the torch, paying homage to legends such as Patti Labelle and Donny Hathaway while keeping pace with newer artists.
A cross between Chaka Khan and Scott, Fleshcoat Featuring Dr. E is all about "grown folks' music," tunes for adults that's light on violence, candy-coated lyrics and overt sexuality, and heavy on slow grooves for late-night dancing and funk for long drives with the windows down.
Gifted with a voice that bends to a throaty, womanly purr or high, Erykah Badu-like top notes, Dr. E leads the band through songs that praise God, children and love.
In "Back to Work," Dr. E and her co-writer-producer, James D. Johnson, penned an anthem for the everywoman who just wants to stay home and enjoy a little more time with her man, her family, her real life. The chorus sticks in the head and encourages chair dancing and singing along. The choruses generally fall within the vocal range of the average person, making them perfect songs to sing along to. After three listens to the album, you'll have the whole thing on the brain.
"Losin' It" sounds like a lost Chaka Khan track, and "I See Heaven" returns listeners to funk with a sexy bass line and a smoky delivery by Dr. E, truly "grown folks music" as track two claims.
Fleshcoat answers what some might call a niche market of music for adults without being easy listening. For adults who still have some swing to their hips and a desire for smart, sexy tunes, here's a match. Almost every song on the album is catchy and funky with lyrics that most people can relate to, whether it is wanting to avoid work or praise God.
The name Fleshcoat, rather than being an unsavory euphemism, reflects Johnson's belief that human beings are, as Richardson described it, "spirit constrained in flesh."
A way to release that constraint, to discover your own identity, is through music. This philosophy drives the album, and hopefully, it should drive sales.

Voices of Central PA article on Dr E (November 2006)