The Brand New Heavies

Born in Ealing, West London, The Brand New Heavies formed in 1985 around Simon Bartholomew, Andrew Levy and Jan Kincaid. Initially known as Brother International, they became part of the London scene that saw the emergence of acid jazz in the late 1980s. The band developed a sound rooted in funk, soul and jazz-funk, featuring supple rhythms, prominent bass lines and a strong emphasis on female vocals, which have changed over time. After a self-titled debut album in 1990, The Brand New Heavies reworked their material with American singer N'Dea Davenport, whose arrival coincided with a widening audience in the early 1990s. Their subsequent discography — from Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 (1992) to Brother Sister (1994) and Shelter (1997) — demonstrates a group capable of blending organic groove, contemporary soul and touches of hip-hop. The band went on to change female singers several times, notably Siedah Garrett, Carleen Anderson and Dawn Joseph, while continuing to perform and record with releases such as We Won’t Stop (2003), Allabouthefunk (2004), Get Used to It (2006), Forward (2013), Sweet Freaks (2014) and TBNH (2019). Today The Brand New Heavies is carried by Simon Bartholomew, Andrew Levy and Angela Ricci.