NY native Stephanie McKay returns to the fold with fiercely honest lyrics, a gutsy vocal style and funk-driven hip-hop soul. This 12-inch showcases one of the hottest tracks off her new EP, and features remixes from DJ Spinna and Spacek.

Growing up in the Bronx, McKay's diverse musical education started with her older brother's 70s soul and funk collection, listening to classic pop station WABC and hearing Grandmaster Flash, Jimmy Castor, James Brown and Afrika Bambaataa in constant rotation on the block. A former dancer who grew up studying at The Alvin Ailey school, the singer/songwriter toured the world with the Brooklyn Funk Essentials and Europe with Amp Fiddler, lent her vocals to tracks by Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Tricky and Roy Hargrove and played lead guitar in Kelis' band. After McKay traveled to England to work with Portishead founder Geoff Barrow on her first album, things started connecting. The mastermix of Bristol and the Bronx proved a worthy sonic experiment, but while her debut carried over Barrow's trademarked Portishead sound, her sophomore album Tell It Like It Is (coming early 2007) truly demonstrates Stephanie's own vision, fusing her powerful urban poetics creatively with sonic splashes of rock, pop, soul, and, of course hip-hop.

This 12-inch features the standout track “Tell It Like It Is,” a gut-bucket funk anthem with an instrumental so raw that it perfectly complements her head-strong, in-your-face lyrics. A pulsating bass-line and hard drum-break carry the verse and chorus, while the bridge flips into a smooth space-boogie to keep things interesting. Spacek’s mix is a synth-heavy deep-soul take on the track, a slow head-nodder that fits just right with her melodic voice. DJ Spinna picks up the pace with a driving deep-house mix, sure to get the dance-floor gyrating. Including both the instrumental of the album version and a mash-up hungry acappella, this 12-inch is definitely not beating around the bush.