The most original, energetic and engaging musical group on the scene these days? None other than Rich Cronin, Brad Fischetti and Devin Lima of LFO, the hottest new act to emerge from Lou Pearlman's Trans Continental Entertainment. Set for an August 24 release, LFO's debut album showcases the trio's vocal and songwriting talents which mesh to form a rich, unique harmonic blend of pop, hip-hop, rap and R&B.
It hasn't taken long for fans and critics to jump on the LFO bandwagon. "Summer Girls," the first single released off their Arista Records debut, is already making a splash in Top 40 radio and has critics buzzing. Entertainment Weekly hails "Summer Girls" as "the beach blanket jam of the summer"; Billboard raves about the hit in the making, saying ""...this novel, mature-sounding track quite likely could be the one to click at the top 40."
After the band's recent appearance on New York City's Z-100. "Summer Girls" became the radio stations number one most requested song. Rich wrote and produced "Summer Girls" as well as another of the CD's catchy tracks, "The Girl On TV". "We all write songs", says Brad, noting that the trio are collaborating on new material for their upcoming tour. "When I'm in love, forget about it! The songs never stop coming."
Other listener-friendly tracks include the soulful ballad "Forever", which features Devin's velvety-smooth lead vocals, and "Your Heart is Safe With Me", penned by Grammy Award-Winning songwriter Diane Warren". "I love performing ïForever'," says Devin. "It enables me to sing as freely as I can".
The formation of LFO happened three years ago when Rich, already a hit on the Boston music scene, was visiting Orlando one weekend. There he met Brad, an aspiring model and singer from New York. The two 6'3" performers decided to join forces and Rich promptly returned to his native Boston to pack his bags. "It didn't happen overnight," says Rich. "We worked hard for years."
During that time, the duo honed their singing, dancing and songwriting skills in Orlando. Then last winter, Brad and Rich met Devin, a soloist from Boston whose sweet melodic vocals perfectly complimented LFO's sound. The group recently toured with Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, and opened for LL Cool J last summer. Later this year, LFO will embark upon their own US tour.
"Performing is my favorite thing", says Devin. Rich echoes the sentiment "it's more people that you've ever seen in your life in one place. It's probably the most incredible feeling ever."
"Summer Girls" is just the beginning" Brad promises. "When you see what comes next, you'll be mesmerized"