'The Color Purple' Cast Recording to Be Released January 24, 2006

Angel Records, a division of EMI Music, will release a single from the score of the upcoming Broadway musical, The Color Purple. Multiple Grammy Award-winner Patti LaBelle and recording artist Jill Scott will cover the duet, "What About Love?" from The Color Purple. Following the release of the single in January, Angel Records will release the original cast recording of The Color Purple on January 24, 2006 and include the LaBelle/Scott single as a bonus track. The single will be released prior to the album's release. The Color Purple is a soul stirring new musical, which begins previews on Tuesday, November 1, 2005 and opens on Thursday, December 1, 2005 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City.

The single "What About Love?" will be produced by Grammy Award winner James Poyser. The original cast recording will be produced by Grammy Award winner Jay D. Saks.

Drawn from Alice Walker's classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the landmark film by Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple is an inspiring and unforgettable story of a woman, who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. With a moving book and a score featuring jazz, gospel, blues and pop, The Color Purple is about hope and a musical celebration of life.

The show and the recording will feature a dynamic cast that includes LaChanze as Celie, Elisabeth Withers-Mendes as Shug, Felicia P. Fields as Sofia, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Nettie, Kingsley Leggs as Mister, Brandon Victor Dixon as Harpo and Krisha Marcano as Squeak.

Directed by Gary Griffin, The Color Purple features a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, original music and lyrics by Grammy nominated and Grammy Award-winning composer/lyricists Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.

The show is produced by Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders, Roy Furman and Quincy Jones.

"I'm extremely honored that the producers of The Color Purple have chosen EMI-Angel for the release of the original Broadway cast CD of the show," says Bruce Lundvall, CEO & President of EMI Jazz & Classics. "It's the best Broadway score I've heard in years and has songs that will reach a wider audience than just Broadway. That's why I've decided to record "What About Love?" with Patti and Jill and release it as a single to radio."

David Munns, Chairman & CEO of EMI Music North America stated, "This is the first time in over twenty years that a Broadway score has yielded a song worthy of a label recording it as a radio single. Pairing soul-jazz artist Jill Scott with the legendary Patti Labelle gives the "What About Love?" duet a vocal power and emotional depth that is rare today."

"We were thrilled to have several labels bidding for the rights to record the show," says Scott Sanders, lead producer of The Color Purple. "The very first meeting I had with Bruce Lundvall and the EMI-Angel team, they articulated a big-picture vision for taking The Color Purple music to both a Broadway and a mainstream audience. It was clear they were the right music partner for us."