Shara Nelson (born in London, England) is a singer and musician.

She is probably best known for providing the vocals on the song "Unfinished Sympathy" which has frequently been described as one of the best songs of all time, according to polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines and reviewers. A reviewer for the BBC has said that: "More than a decade after its release it remains one of the most moving pieces of dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly as a ballad by Bacharach or a melody by McCartney."

Early Work

Her work with Massive Attack was not solely confined to singing, and she assisted with other aspects of the songmaking process. However, she decided to discontinue working with the band after the Blue Lines album.

In July 1993 she started her solo career with the UK Top 20 hit "Down That Road". The single was released on Cooltempo Records after Nelson had returned to London from Bristol. Both Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osbourne were involved in remixing the single, which marketed her as the "new Aretha Franklin".

According to reviews she "readily admitted to her Motown Records influences, and the arrangements on her debut album were sumptuous affairs, with heaped strings and gushing choruses." The songs were co-written by Prince Be of P.M. Dawn ("Down That Road"), Adrian Sherwood (the title track) and Saint Etienne ("One Goodbye In Ten').

Critical Acclaim

• "Friendly Fire firmly established her as an international soul artist, a fact at least partly attributable to Nelson's ability to write lyrics of much greater depth than is generally associated with the genre." - Lycos review
• "Shara Nelson’s wonderful rich vocals rise above the simple ascending/descending chord structure " - BBC Review [1]
• "Shara Nelson did most of the vocals and her voice is far more soulful, in the traditional sense of the word, than mine will ever be" - Beth Gibbons of Portishead [2]

• Nominated for 1995 Mercury Music Award
• Nominated for 3 Brit Awards

External links

• Official Website
• All Music profile
• Amazon discography