Nikki Jean Teams With Motown's Lamont Dozier for 'My Love' -- Song Premiere

Within recent years, the modern soul revival has seen faces like Adele, Erykah Badu and Raphael Saadiq spearheading the effort. But newcomer Nikki Jean may become a frontrunner of the genre's resurgence with her ability to embody the '50s Motown girl-group sound.

In her early 20s, Jean had very little solo work to show for -- only a few tracks with hip-hop acts like Lupe Fiasco -- but when she got in touch with producer Sam Hollander and a few publishers, the singer was able to make her dream of co-writing with the greats of music a reality.


Jean ventured to Martha's Vineyard to work with Carly Simon, corresponded with Burt Bacharach on a song piece-by-piece and reached out to Bob Dylan, who in turn gave her a song to complete from his 'Shot of Love' era.

Almost 50 songs went into the making of what is now called 'Pennies in a Jar,' Jean's first full-length, and you can hear a little sample of her Tin Pan Alley revival. 'My Love' features the writing and production mastery of Lamont Dozier to achieve a throwback girl-group sound.

"I'll never forget the first time I went to his house," Jean tells Spinner. "He sat down at the piano and started playing 'Where Did Our Love Go.' I can't imagine a world without his contribution to pop culture."

Jean's 'Pennies in a Jar' will be available July 12 via S-Curve records.