THE MOTOWN PARTY 2011

A brand new soul compilation The Motown Party 2011 is described as a colourful journey through Motown with modern interpretations of classic hits. Musical backing for the album was provided by the band “The Selective Soul Club”, consisting of exceptional musicians such as Motown legend Leroy Emmanuel. The recently released CD The Motown Party 2011 is the perfect gift for soul lovers and fans of the legendary Motown sound. The Detroit-based label was home to a wide range of world-class stars and number one hits in the 1960s and 70s including Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and, of course, The Jackson Five with a young Michael Jackson, just to name a few. Renowned Viennese musician and producer Stephan Gleixner oversaw the modern interpretations of classic Motown songs for the new Vienna International album. The selection includes such songs as “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”, “Dancing in the Street” and “I Can’t Get Next to You”. “Last year’s release, ‘The Motown Story’, exceeded all expectations. With The Motown Party 2011, we pushed the quality and the Motown spirit even higher, ” says Rudolf Tucek, CEO of Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG, clearly satisfied with the results. Following last year’s tribute to the stars of Motown, the new album pays homage to the musicians in the background: the Funk Brothers. The legendary Motown label studio band performed the backing for nearly all Motown songs and played on more number one hits between 1959 and 1972 than The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys together.

To pay the proper respect to the Funk Brothers and their hits, producer Stephan Gleixner created a special band just for the album. “The Selective Soul Club” is a musical collective made up of exceptional national and international musicians. Motown legend Leroy Emmanuel, blues, gospel and soul singer Mary Lamaro, pianist Christian Wegscheider, jazz musician Stefan Gössinger and the vocal talents of Soulicious are just a small sampling of the more than a dozen artists. Gleixner has known most of the musicians for years, but The Motown Party 2011 was the first time that they came together in this constellation. He is excited by the result: “The goal of the album was to capture the spirit of Motown and to treat the songs with respect, while applying our creativity, improvisation and passion to give them a new life of their own. That we succeeded so spectacularly is due to having the perfect band – which goes to prove that only the best are good enough.”

An audio sample of the album The Motown Party 2011 is available at http://www.vi-hotels.com/. The CD can be purchased for EUR 15 directly from Vienna International, at online shops such as iTunes or Amazon and at the individual Vienna International Hotels & Resorts.