'Strawberry Letter 23,' the first official single off Quincy Jones upcoming compilation album 'Q: Soul Bossa Nostra,' features contemporary versions of popular recordings. The Grammy Award-winning producer, composer and arranger has brought together some of biggest recording artists, namely Usher, Ludacris, Akon, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, T-Pain, Robin Thicke, LL Cool J, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Wyclef Jean, Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, Three 6 Mafia, David Banner, BeBe Winans, Mervyn Warren, Jermaine Dupri, DJ Paul and Scott Storch, among others to cover a slew of recordings originally helmed by Jones.
Specifically, 'Strawberry Letter 23,' featuring Akon, is a cover of the 1977 Brothers Johnson hit. Originally penned by Shuggie Otis and featured on his 1972 album 'Freedom Flight,' the song was later picked up by George Johnson of the Brothers Johnson, who included the track on their Quincy Jones-produced album 'Right on Time.' The funky R&B hit peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Soul Singles chart.
"Each artist picked a song that really resonated with them for different reasons - some of them having a connection because they remembered their parents playing the track when they were growing up," remarks Jones. " I am honored that everyone wanted to be a part of this celebration of these songs. They all made them their own, and knocked them out of the park."
The album is expected to release sometime in May/June. Tune into AOL Radio's New R&B First station to hear Akon's cover of 'Strawberry Letter 23.'
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