Althea René. This unparalleled artist, born December 25th in Detroit, Michigan, began her musical career at age four as a classical flautist. She studied classical music while attending Howard University in Washington D.C. and later she gained further musical inspiration from the accomplishments of Yusef Lateef, Ian Anderson, and Dave Valentine. She has since developed her own creative style. Althea René has worked more than 10 years as a Wayne County Deputy Sheriff (Detroit, Michigan). Today, Ms. René is a full-time performing/recording artist and is regarded among many as one of the nation's most exciting solo improvisational flautists. She is currently one of the headliners on Norman Brown's 2009 Smooth Music Cruise. Althea René's latest CD release "No Restrictions" has a unique urban contemporary flavor with a jazzy/R&B twist. She surrounds herself with some of today's most influential music producers to create an unsurpassed collection of jams. Grammy winning producer Michael Broenig (Paul McCartney & Marion Meadows) leads the charge with the piping hot title track "No Restrictions". Grammy nominated producer Rex Rideout (Luther Vandross & Lalah Hathaway) delivers scorching remakes of the urban classics "Wishing on a Star" and "I Love Your Smile". Chance Howard (Prince & The Time) takes it to another level with his sizzling Minneapolis groove "Do Ya Like Dat?" Producer Kendall Duffie (Mary Mary & Marvin Winans) puts his silky smooth touch on "Ladies Nite Out" which features guest appearances from recording artists, saxophonist Candy Dulfer and bassist Rhonda Smith. For more information, visit Althea's website at http://www.althearene.com. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.