Front Row: Toni Hill
The R&B/Soul songstress performs music from her new album Only Love with an eight-piece band featuring special guests Syndel of Sirens Echo, DJ B-Girl and more. Seductive and soulful, Hill`s music will move your body and may even stir a summer romance. Taped at Seattle City Hall Plaza during the City of Seattle Summer Concert Series.
Toni Hill’s album, Only Love, is available for digital download on Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, Media-Net and Napster. Only Love is also available in physical CD format on Amazon, and also at Sonic Boom and Silver Platters in Seattle, WA.
Watch Toni Hill’s performance on the Seattle Channel:
Thursday, Nov. 19, 11PM
Friday, Nov. 20, 10PM
Saturday, Nov. 21, 9PM
A work three years in the making, manifested through loss of family, heartbreak and sweet new romance, “Only Love” is a delicious collection of soulful originals that tell an assortment of stories from the heart. Toni explains, “I wanted this album to be about love—like the old school music our parents listened to… I wanted it to be about love for friends, love from supporters; and most importantly about love for self, because without that you really can’t love anyone else.”
“Only Love” was produced by Amos Miller, a prolific producer and recording artist, who has worked with nearly all of Seattle’s hip-hop and R&B talent, including Choklate, Jake One, Gabriel Teodros, and Geologic from Blue Scholars. Only Love includes some of Seattle’s finest musicians from jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and world music, that include Mark Oi, Anthony Davis, Vitamin D, Aaron Walker-Loud, Royce Shorter Jr., Ethan Lawton, Chris Littlefield, Evan Flores-Barnes and others.
Track Listing:
1. Only Love
2. Love Is
3. Shoo Bee
4. Vibe Out feat. Soul Plasma
5. Just Relax
6. This Thing Called Love
7. Rose
8. Sippin’ On Time (Interlude)
9. Coffee Shop
10. Let’s Start Over
11. I Wanna Know (Skit)
12. If It’s Real
Produced by Amos Miller
206 Vintage Recordings and Siren’s Echo Music
Rose is a touching R&B song about abandonment and the search for a lost father figure by Toni Hill, production by Amos Miller. Video by Andrew Rutherford of ASR Productions. Cinematography by William Brody of Red White & Boots. Visit Toni Hill on myspace.com/misstonihill.
By Jonathan Cunningham
Friday, Feb. 27 2009 @ 4:00PM
Last night, I was lucky enough to get my hands on Toni Hill’s debut solo album, Only Love, and so far I’m highly impressed. She’s a talented double threat that has been rapping and singing in Northwest groups for years (Hungry Mob/Sirens Echo/Oldominion) but this new album is both her solo debut, and her soul debut. You won’t hear her rapping on Only Love but you will hear lot’s of smoothed out R&B/soul music that’s perfect for the grown and sexy crowd. If I had to briefly put it in a box, I’d say the album sounds like Jill Scott meets the Jazzyfatnastees with a touch of old school Michel’le thrown in for good measure.
She shows a lot of range as a singer/songwriter on the project and I think people are going to embrace this album when they here it. These days, Hill bounces between Portland (her hometown), Seattle, and New York but currently she’s here and having a listening party at Hidmo tonight. She’ll be there with the album’s producer Amos Miller playing the record in it’s entirety and DJ B-Girl Mia will be spinning as well. The listening party starts at 7:30 p.m. and they’ll also be debuting a music video for the song, “Rose.” If you’re a fan of Hill’s music, come out and support.
Her sound is one that radiates through your soul, refreshing and a true blessing for your ears.
“Love is a trip…” she says in the I Wanna Know skit on her album. And she takes you on that voyage. Toni Hill’s latest offering, Only Love, is true music from the first track to the end.
I came across Toni Hill on one of those Sunday Night Sound Session shows with DJ Hyphen. It was This Thing Called Love that caught me off guard on the underground hip-hop show out of Seattle, Washington (check DJ Hyphen’s interview for more about Sunday Nigh Sound Session). It’s one of those sit back, relax and let the sound take you away type of tracks.
“Trying to figure out, what it’s all about … this thing called love. Trying to understand, the best way I can… this thing called you…” The song is beautiful and each song compliments the other on Only Love!
Toni Hill brings classic soul, infused with emotional lyrics and strong passionate vocals that resonate with everything that you are (if you love good music). She merges the sound of an older generation’s music (the stuff mom and dad use to listen to) with a real contemporary feel. It’s very smooth.
According to her website, “Only Love is a delicious collection of soulful originals that tell an assortment of stories from the heart.” Toni Hill goes on to explain on the page, “I wanted this album to be about love—like the old school music our parents listened to… I wanted it to be about love for friends, love from supporters; and most importantly about love for self, because without that you really can’t love anyone else.”
She definitely accomplished that and this album is truly a collection of soulful originals.
Available on 