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Conya doss
She received rave reviews in Vibe, USA Today and Billboard for her debut and sophomore albums A Poem about Ms. Doss and Just Because, now the Cleveland based school teacher turned poetic soul vocalist, Conya Doss releases her third album, Love Rain Down
? There's a reason Conya Doss looks so comfortable onstage, gently swinging her hips like a day lily caught in a summer's breeze, singing in a voice that's equal parts honey and hellfire. It's because she's used to it. As a teacher of children with special needs within the Cleveland public school system, this thirty something songstress faces an audience tougher than most, nearly every day. "I incorporate music as part of my class, the traditional way of learning can be boring, so I have kids project academics through poetry or singing," says Conya. Of late, this audience has also come to include throngs of R&B and soul aficionados enticed by Conya's sweet, supple delivery and heartfelt lyrics.
"An embarrassment of riches isn't a phrase generally associated with today's music. One exception: the next-generation R&B emanating from the likes of Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Alicia Keys, Tweet, and Angie Stone. Well, make room for this strong contender..the Cleveland native applies lyrically rich life and love lessons to a mixture of R&B, funk, jazz, and pop music."
Billboard Magazine
? Long before she was standing in front of sold-out clubs and crowded arenas, Conya faced perhaps an even more daunting audience: rambunctious young kids ready to learn. Ironically, in working with underprivileged youth, Conya has learned as much from her students as they have from her. She's learned the value of humility, honesty, and most significantly, the importance of being true to yourself. These lessons were painted in broad strokes on Conya's candid, endearing debut, A Poem about Ms. Doss which she co-wrote and co-produced. Emotionally resonant and wondrously infectious, Conya's debut was openhearted and down-to-earth. There were no tales of wanton bed hopping, no bling-bling, just earnest, expressive songs of heartbreak, salvation and praise.
"No matter what twists and turns relationships may take, they never seem to make this honey-voiced newcomer from Cleveland lose heart...Doss stirs emotions on her inventive first single, "Coffee," and takes a loving nod toward her soul/jazz roots with a cover of Norman Connors' Starship. Her poem is a smooth and sexy one worth more than just a cursory reading,"
USA Today
"This Cleveland native joins the ranks as a special needs teacher whom seems poised on the brink of stardom..It is always wonderful to hear someone like Conya, who can really sing! Ms. Doss' impressive vocals are emphasized on top of subtle musical on this 15-song release."
Venus Magazine
"But after one listen to Doss's debut single, "Coffee," it becomes clear why the Cleveland songbird has become such a hot item. Spry and instantly infectious, the luminous cut has gained steady airplay on major stations from Miami to New Orleans to Chicago..With a voice that's equally tender and tensile, Doss exhibited striking range, interspersing candied soul with touching torch songs."
The Cleveland Scene
? With her sophomore album Just Because Conya fluently took her listeners on a journey of finger snapping and head gyrating wondrous grooves laced with an electric blend of instruments that ride each beat with finesse. She possesses an indistinguishable reverence to the soul divas of yesteryears by encompassing invigorating vocals with thought-induced messages that silhouette charismatic, rhythmically charged production that simultaneously blazes a trail for her brand of melodic soul. On her sophomore project boasting ten choice cuts, Conya not only belted out the jazzy notes that caressed your ears, but she wrote, arranged, and produced over half of the album, only enlisting a small qualified team of gifted producers to help compliment her raw sound.
"This Cleveland native uses her gritty, soulful voice to guide the emotional roller coaster of her sophomore effort, Just Because."
Upscale Magazine
"The combination of these influences- education, her family, her students and old school music has resulted in her warm, organic sound."
Smooth Magazine
? The spiritual and emotional symmetry she threads into a refreshing, realistic and expressive musical pattern, creates a pleasant mind-cleansing experience that stirs, rivets, and soothes the jaded soul. If what you covet is vintage soul with modern appeal and instrument-heavy beats embellished with flavorful sounds, then her music is for you. Conya wraps her seductive, magical voice and polished rhythmic sounds around personalized confessions like the warmth of a passionate embrace. Her music is an organic experience- a hybrid collection of up-tempo jams and fluid slow grooves that artistically join her sleek voice with intoxicating melodies.
"Cleveland schoolteacher turned neo-soul songstress who's written for 3LW, Gerald Levert and others, might be Ohio's best kept secret since Hi-Tek."
Complex Magazine
? Conya's music is not lost among the pantheon of new crooners, but instead invokes the spirits of legendary composers-singers such as Chaka Khan, Betty Wright, Natalie Cole, Me'shell N'Degeocello and Alanis Morrisette. She has shared stages with a spectrum of artists ranging from Erykah Badu and Ashanti to Amerie and Frankie Beverly & Maze to name a few as well as working with Gerald Levert and writing and producing for pop group, 3LW.
"Remember the name Conya Doss. The Cleveland native is in possession of one of the most mind-blowing, sneak-attack-out-of-nowhere, BANGIN' debut albums that 2002 is gonna offer up....This lady can sang...you'll hear why USA Today stepped out early on this organic soul artist, giving it a perfectly judged 3 out of 4 stars."
Urban Network Magazine
"The result is an eclectic blend of soul, jazz and R&B, all grounded by Doss's steady yet passionate vocals. An A+ effort - and a study in poetic justice."
Honey Magazine
? Nestled between Indiana and Pennsylvania, lies a state that has yet to be fully tapped of it's musical resources. In a region whose lineage reflects that of Babyface, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Tracy Chapman, Marilyn Manson, Gerald Levert, The O'Jays, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Roger Troutman and Zapp, The Gapp Band and Avant among others, Conya is the first female soul singer to emerge from and hold steadfast to her Midwestern roots and ancestry. Much like what her predecessors Erykah Badu, India.Arie and Jill Scott did for Dallas, Atlanta and Philly, Conya plans to put Ohio on the soul music map. Born and raised in Cleveland, she has been singing since she was five years old, first groovin' to the likes of Stevie Wonder and Angela Winbush. She attended Cleveland's famed School of the Arts, where future stars such as Avant and 71 North would also cut their teeth.
"The same could be said of this R&B virtuoso. A product of Cleveland, the town that gave us Tracy Chapman, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Doss manages to embody all those disparate aesthetics-and then some."
Vibe Magazine
"She's always been very talented."
Avant, recording artist
? On her third disc, Love Rain Down, the compelling songbird pours passion and appealing eccentricity into a dozen stunningly inventive jams that reflect quintessential soul music infused with a pinch of subtle funk. "I think this new album is very unconventional and takes me out of the 'neo-soul' box. The music is more like a tribute and a praise to icons I grew up listening to such as Bonnie Raitt, Doobie Brothers and Jane Child." While feel-good harmonies can be found sprinkled throughout this delightful musical journey, especially on "Those Were The Days", "Call Me" and the title track, "Love Rain Down," it's Conya's magical ability to deliver a potent mixture of confessional, bittersweet and meaningful lyrics with childlike charm. Conya offers an unforgettable vocal performance on the mellow, minimalist melody, "Sign", with its lush orchestral guitar arrangement and soft tambourine riffs while "Why Did You", the pumping, bluesy-jazz frenzied anthem, celebrates moving on after experiencing the pain of a broken heart. She is just as comfortable with lascivious R&B wails as she is with gospel-themed fare. Composing yet another intricately crafted and cohesive body of work that illuminates her unequaled musicianship, Conya only scratches the surface of what she is capable of.
"A whole lot of soul in a beautiful package...a must hear"
DJ Jazzy Jeff
? Through it all, Conya's remained grounded. And therein lies much of her appeal. In a time when many pop stars have become further and further removed from the folks that they speak to with their custom made looks and unattainable lifestyles, Conya remains a lot like us: a tender, tough, self-possessed young lady who puts her community before commercial concerns. When summing up what her music is about, Conya offers a simple answer: "Life in general." Not just hers, but ours as well.
"Over smoky, introspective rhythms, Doss sings an extended love letter to the numerous faces of amour..Whether expressing pain or disappointment, Doss works to wring the emotion out of each track. Looks like the city that brought you the Gapp Band, Zapp and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is planning a comeback."
One World Magazine
"If you haven't heard Conya Doss yet, chances are you will soon enough..Cleveland isn't the only market excited about her..already, a number of record industry players consider Doss to be a female version of D'Angelo..all these signals indicate that Doss could become Cleveland's very first neo-soul diva.filled with well conceived changes in timbre, emotional content, vocal delivery, tempo and mood, Conya Doss is a journey instead of a collection of recordings."
Cleveland Free Times
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