On her fourth solo album, "Velours" (don’t pronounce the ‘s’!), NYC recording artist Valerie Ghent draws on the full range of her talents forged over 20+ years working with music luminaries Ashford & Simpson, Nina Simone, Debbie Harry & Billy Preston to deliver a breathtaking, spell-binding performance that draws the listener in and never lets go. Returning to the smooth sound that has won her fans around the globe with her iHeart Radio #1 hit song "Love Enough for a Lifetime", "Velours" is sure to become Valerie’s most iconic album yet. In this electrifying mix of R+B, funk, reggae and smooth soul, Ghent fully unleashes her 3 and 1/2 octave vocal range, powerful keyboard chops and her distinctive voice that can hurtle into the stratosphere, whisper in your ear or fall into a low croon at will. These talents, combined with her undeniable authenticity, vitality and joy, her record production, songwriting and engineering skills, and her radiant physicality as a performer shaped by years of martial arts training, make Valerie a force to be reckoned with. Backed up by a band of internationally acclaimed musicians and vocalists from France, NYC and Senegal, "Velours" takes the listener on a journey through smooth soul, feel-good R+B, intimate ballads, sun-drenched reggae and pure funk. Recorded in the New York City and the South of France, the album of 11 original songs propels the listener from the transcendent luminosity of "Love Divine" to the exuberant "Get Funkay", from the unstoppable "New York City Streets" to the heart-stopping ballad, "Light in My Life". The mesmerizing groove of title song "Velours" literally flows into the American-songbook inspired "Linger" (with accompanying string quartet), while future R+B classic "It's Got To Be You" plays smooth counterpoint to the reggae-inspired "Phased" and the gospel blues of "30 Days". How do you pronounce "Velours"? Leave off the ‘s’ and say "veh-loooor". A French word with the same meaning in English: smooth, velvety, velour. Exactly how you'll feel after listening to Valerie Ghent. A-list musicians on "Velours" include Tinker Barfield (Luther Vandross, Ashford & Simpson), guitarists Robin Macatangay (Hamilton) & Jérôme Buigues (Sir Cliff Richard), drummer Kevin Johnson (Curtis Mayfield, Cassandra Wilson), percussionist Bashiri Johnson (Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston), French organist & harmonicist Pierre Sibille (Blues' Up, Trio Combo Brazil), vocalists Alfa Anderson (Chic, Luther Vandross), Keith Fluitt (Nona Hendryx, Roberta Flack), Dennis Collins (Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder), John James (Toto, Elton John), cellist Dave Eggar (Coldplay, Beyonce), trumpeter Steven Bernstein (Hot Nine, Levon Helm), saxophonist Paul Shapiro (Jay-Z, Lou Reed), Nicolas Baudino (Lio, Harry Morse Project), and a special guest performance by Senegalese vocalist Mano Korani Camara.