Showbiz Sessions

Some 'Acoustic Soul': India.Arie performs 'Video'

India.Arie has been compared to artists such as Roberta Flack and Tracy Chapman

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The Beatles gave us "Rubber Soul." Isaac Hayes produced "Hot Buttered Soul." Now there's India.Arie, a singer-songwriter out of Atlanta, Georgia, whose music can be summed up by the title of her new album: "Acoustic Soul."

"I believe in the beauty of simplicity, especially in music," she told Michael Okwu of CNN's "Showbiz Today Reports." "I think I write a song until that says precisely what I want to say, and when you do that it comes out very simple."

	VIDEO
Watch as singer India.Arie performs 'Video' (June 20) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Arie has been compared to artists ranging from Roberta Flack to Tracy Chapman. She proudly wears her influences on her sleeve; one cut on "Acoustic Soul" is a tribute to Stevie Wonder, and consists of nothing but Wonder song titles over a distinctly Wonder-ful groove.

Though "Acoustic Soul" is Arie's first album, she's been around for awhile. She played coffeehouses around Atlanta and earned a slot on the 1998 Lilith Fair tour. She signed with Motown Records only after the label agreed to full artistic control. "Acoustic Soul" was two years in the making.

For this week's Showbiz Sessions, Arie spoke with Okwu and performed the song "Video" on the rooftop of New York's Hudson Hotel.

India.Arie - official site

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.