Alice Smith is a genre-defying singer/songwriter amazing fans and critics with her four octave range, massive presence and deftly written material. The stunning alto recently released her lauded debut, For Lovers, Dreamers, and Me, on indie label BBE, aptly gracing ears with a unique blend of rock, pop, reggae, soul, blues and more. She recently spoke with AOL about her clashes with labels who archaically insist on trying to pigeonhole her creativity for marketing purposes.

“I think people get treated like they can’t handle it. ‘Oh, you’re black and you sing this? How are you gonna get to black radio? This is too eclectic for black people.’ You know, offensive s#%t! That’s rude. What are you really talking about? Are you saying that people are stupid? That’s how it feels to me. I have nothing against [record] labels at all, but some people at the labels don’t give people an honest chance, and trust that people can understand music. Why can’t my signature sound be, ‘Alice sings whatever…’?”

The D.C. native had a lot more to say. Take a moment to click on the interview as every hit brings her further to copping a AOL “Breakers” feature. Then visit Smith’s myspace page, check out her incredible music and spread the word. With her rich voice and thrilling approach, she deserves all the press she can get.