Shawn Lee

by Stacia Proefrock
The Latin-infused sounds of multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee helped him to become the flagship artist for the Wall of Sound imprint We Love You. Lee relocated twice in pursuit of his music career, first from his hometown of Wichita, KS, to Los Angeles, where he polished his skills and worked with Jeff Buckley, and then, in 1995, to London, where he eventually joined Wall of Sound to issue a series of singles and his debut album, Monkey Boy, in 2000. The next full-length didn't come until four years later, after Lee had signed to Ubiquity, which released the first of his Studio Sessions series, Music and Rhythm. The series continued with Moods and Grooves in 2005 and Strings and Things in 2006. The music was created to be used in film and television soundtracks, including Desperate Housewives and Malcolm in the Middle. Also in 2006, Soul Visa, which had originally come out in Japan in 2004, was issued in the U.S. In 2007 Voices and Choices, which included a track from labelmate Nino Moschella, hit shelves, followed later by A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats, the musician's take on seasonal favorites, and the next year Miles of Styles was released.