Reared on Motown backbeats, 70s groove bands, and gospel wails, multi-talented artist Angela Johnson has a knack for creating songs that infuse the classic elements of music’s yesteryear into a dynamic and contemporary brew distinctly her own. Her critically-acclaimed solo albums They Don’t Know (2002 Purpose) and Got To Let It Go (2005 Purpose) introduced Angela as a soothing soul singer with a stealth, gut-punching alto and a sensitive songwriter of deceptively simple melodies that moved listeners from romantic sways to back-burning sweats. Her most recent offering, A Woman’s Touch (2008 Purpose) is a single-producer project that furthers Angela’s evolution as an erudite production talent and continues a legacy of female musician/producers not seen since the pioneering days of Patrice Rushen and Angela Winbush. Boasting the crème de la crème of soul and R&B, from Rahsaan Patterson and Eric Roberson to Maysa and Julie Dexter, A Woman’s Touch is more than an indie soul project, it is an industry event unseen since the timeless producer albums of Quincy Jones and Norman Conners. When considered alongside a body of work that includes two solo masterpieces and two highly-hailed group projects as the lead singer of the soul-funk band, Cooly’s Hot Box, Angela’s fifth studio release is a revealing testament to the time and commitment Angela has spent honing her multi-faceted skills to a spit-shined perfection.

To thrive for over 15 years in this bare-knuckle business of music requires talent, beauty, a strong constitution, and steely determination—qualities Angela has possessed since day one. Her enduring career isn’t surprising to those in the know; Angela’s talents and tenacity have made it seem destined. As a musical child prodigy who played piano by age 4 and violin by age 9, it appears Angela Johnson was born for music. She certainly was prepped for this glorious—and occasionally brutal ride—by her upstate New York rearing in the tough industrial town of Utica, NY. There, as a teenage choir director and church organist in her Baptist church, Angela received her first critical training on how to rouse a crowd through the power of song. Refinement as a musician and performer came through a fated stint at State University of New York (SUNY) in Purchase. At SUNY, Angela studied as a violin major and met her fellow students and future Cooly’s Hot Box bandmates, including close collaborator Christian Urich of the cult favorite, Tortured Soul. Several years of singing lead and writing for Cooly’s Hot Box produced three dance hits (“What A Surprise,” “Make Me Happy,” and “We Don’t Have To Be Alone”), a doomed label deal with Virgin Records that still produced Cooly's commendable debut Take It, and a much celebrated sophomore project (Don’t Be Afraid, Get On) under Angela’s current label home, Purpose Records, signaled the end of the Cooly's era. After departing Cooly’s in 2002, Angela met the industry as a grown woman of esteemed talents with an experience earned doctorate in music business chicanery. The year also found a newly motivated Angela Johnson determined to show the world what she could do as an artist, alone. Since her 2002 solo debut, They Don’t Know, and its auspicious follow-up, Got To Let Go, Angela Johnson has been making the kind of honest soul music that has inspired promoters, music lovers and industry insiders everywhere to make sure that everyone knows exactly who she is. With the 2008 release of A Woman’s Touch, interest in Angela’s music has exploded throughout the music scene, from radio to industry bloggers the word is out. Even before A Woman’s Touch, Angela’s talents as a singer, songwriter and producer have been in high demand. With songs featured on HBO’s The Wire, UPN’s Kevin Hill, FX’s The Shield, and WB’s Roswell, and a 2005 national TV advertising campaign with Cooly’s Hot Box for SBCglobal.net (AT&T/Cingular) already under her belt, soon everyone will be whistling an Angela tune. Madison Avenue aren’t the only ones taking notice of Angela’s talents.