Patrice

Patrice is a given name meaning noble or patrician, related to the names Patrick and Patricia.

In English, Patrice is often a feminine first name. In French it is used as a masculine first name.

Popularity

In the United States, the popularity of the name Patrice peaked in 1958 as the No. 212 most popular name. Its popularity has had ups and downs since then, but has fallen ever since 1987. The year 1995 was the most recent year the name Patrice appeared in the top 1000 names of babies born in the United States, at no. 941.

People with the given name Patrice

Men

Patrice Bart-Williams

Patrice Babatunde Bart-Williams (born July 9, 1979 in Kerpen, North Rhine-Westphalia), better known as Patrice, is a Sierra Leonean-German singer-songwriter, music producer and film-maker. Raised by a Sierra Leonean father and a German mother, Patrice Bart-Williams grew up listening to Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Champion Jack Dupree, Max Romeo, Buju Banton, Dancehall and Hip Hop music, writing his own songs from the age of 12.

Career

Patrice spent his teen years playing with various bands, including the Afro-beat/reggae group Bantu, through which he met Matthias Arfmann, who produced his debut EP Lions. It was released in 1999. Later that year, Patrice supported Lauryn Hill on her European Tour.

His combination of reggae, soul and folk soon attracted attention from major labels and his first full-length album, Ancient Spirit, was released by Sony in 2000. The 2002 follow up How Do You Call It? featured the single Sunshine. In 2003 Patrice teamed up with the German reggae collective Silly Walks Movement to release the aptly titled Silly Walks Meets Patrice.

Patrice (album)

Patrice is the fourth, self-titled album by R&B singer Patrice Rushen.

Reception

This was also Patrice's first album with Elektra Records after making three jazz-oriented albums with Prestige Records. With this album Rushen changes genre from jazz to a more R&B/pop music style. The album was heavily criticized by jazz's hardcore audience. Rushen found herself accused of being a sellout. While others vilified her in the jazz media due to her transition as Jazz lovers believed that the reason for her transition was due for commercial reasons.

In this album Patrice demonstrated that she could be an expressive, charming singer, and her writing or co-writing is solid on cuts that range from the funky "Hang It Up" and the lovely ballad "Didn't You Know?" to the socio-political "Changes (In Your Life)." With Patrice, the Los Angeles native made it clear that she has the talent that is appealing as an R&B/pop singer as she had been as a jazz pianist/keyboardist. Her next album to be released would be Pizzazz.