Sunshine Anderson Survives Label Drama, Macy Gray

dangibs | July 9, 2007 5:00 am
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The music industry rarely allows for second chances, especially in the notoriously fickle genre of R&B. However, Sunshine Anderson made a step towards a comeback this weekend at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, and I’ll take any opportunity I can to post the video for “Heard It All Before”:

There are probably a number of reasons that can be pointed at for Sunshine Anderson’s six-year hiatus between releases, but I’m guessing one factor can be fairly singled out–her manager was Macy Gray. That’s right, notably unstable Macy Gray. Managing someone’s career. Seriously.

In an earlier interview, Anderson told The Associated Press that her latest release, “Sunshine at Midnight,” though a longtime coming was well worth the wait. She said her former manager, singer Macy Gray, coined the title phrase and was the oft-given response whenever Gray was asked, “When’s Sunshine going on?”

Anderson said she would always be grateful for the lessons learned from Gray.

“At the time we were together, I was very naive. But she refused to let me get swallowed up and I’m forever grateful for that.”

After their partnership ended and record company politics forced her out, Anderson said she went through “a lot of heartache and woe is me.”

“But I realized that I’m in charge of my own destiny and I’ve got to move forward,” she said.

Is Matthew Knowles–who Sunshine chose as her new management–the best choice for a manager these days? Maybe not, but studies have shown that a chipmunk with a oversized calculator would manage a career more effectively than Macy Gray. It’s clear Anderson has some talent to share with contemporary R&B audiences; “Heard It All Before” still holds up six years after its release.

Essence gets taste of Sunshine Anderson’s sophomore release [USA Today] Sunshine Anderson [Official Site]

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