Once again, Kristine W is lighting up summer dance floors. This time it is with her reimagining of the Sade classic, “Smooth Operator”. The soulful pop groove is the third release from Kristine’s soon-to-be-released album and pays homage to one of her favorite artists. “I have been performing Sade since I put my first band together in college,” she explains. “Sade’s drummer, Prescott Ellison, even auditioned for my Las Vegas show in the mid 90’s and I hired him on the spot.”
Of the single, Kristine W says: “I think we have all met guys who fancy themselves as smooth operators. I know I have a time or two or three. Smooth talkers who put up a front of being successful business men, educated and well- traveled. In Vegas, you see a lot of them in the casinos all dressed up, hitting on gals half their age, gambling, putting on their high roller shows.
“Our code name for them was Johnny Cologne because you could smell them when they walked by,” she continues with a laugh. “The pit bosses and casino execs often acted like the Johnnies, very self-important and smug. I’m sure the better looking they were, the bigger the trail of tears that followed.
Kristine W worked with Mark Matson (Emoticon) on her rendition of “Smooth Operator”. It was important to her that their chill version keep the integrity and vibe of the original.
“There is such a cohesive energy and musicality to the original and you can tell a lot of love and time was put into making it,” Kristine W says. She feels similarly about Sade’s entire Diamond Life album. “The album is a treasure and it inspired me to record my Straight Up with a Twist jazz album live in the studio with a band. It’s an arduous task, let me tell you, but anything worthwhile takes a lot of work.”
The remix package of Kristine W’s “Smooth Operator” includes five versions of the track with a selection of house music styles that will fit into all DJ’s playlists. The James Hurr and Block @ Crown radio mixes capture the deep house energy that is being played at major music festivals today. Mark Picchiotti delivers a futuristic tech house version while the Matt Consola Piano Tech Mix carries a distinct disco party flavor and Dario Xavier’s version is tribal-afro house.
Says Kristine, “I’m very proud of the remixers who brought their A games to honor our Sade.”
Kristine W’s “Smooth Operator” is out now on all digital retailers via Kristine’s own imprint, Fly Again Music Productions. For more information, visit kristinew.com.
