“inspiring melds of soul, R&B, hip-hop, funk, pop… A mindblower.” – AllMusic
Kindred the Family Soul is a Grammy-nominated adult contemporary R&B duo from Philadelphia consisting of husband-and-wife Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon. Big hit singles elude them, but they maintain a strong following that appreciates their unwavering dedication to releasing relatable, mature R&B. Also, Dantzler and Graydon co-write most of their songs, which are rooted in traditional soul and gospel.
Dantzler and Graydon began as solo performers. Dantzler was born in Philadelphia and got his start in the music business writing songs for Pebbles and Bell Biv DeVoe. Graydon, from Washington, D.C., signed a solo deal at the age of 15. The two united and began writing songs, but then married and started a family. However, Dantzler went back to trying to make it on the local scene. He and Graydon began performing at the Black Lily club, where they caught the attention of Jill Scott.
They spent the next two years working on the debut Kindred the Family Soul album, 2003’s Surrender to Love. It featured an impressive cast of collaborators, including Scott, string arranger Larry Gold, Bilal, King Britt, and Jazmine Sullivan. Thus, it was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B/Soul Album. 2005’s In This Life Together was inspired by Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis’ memoir of the same name. 2008’s The Arrival became their highest-charting title to that point. Here, it reached number sixty-seven on the Billboard 200 and number seven on the R&B Albums chart.
2011’s Love Has No Recession features guests ranging from go-go pioneer Chuck Brown to relative newcomer BJ the Chicago Kid. Kindred’s sixth full-length, 2016’s Legacy of Love, climbed into the top fifteen of the Billboard R&B chart.
Recommended for fans of Jill Scott, Sade, Mary J. Blige and Luther Vandross.
