VOCALIST ROBIN MCKELLE DEBUTS NEW WORKING GROUP,
THE FLYTONES, ON LATEST ALBUM, SOUL FLOWER,
AVAILABLE JUNE 11 VIA OKeh
Album Available as a Digital-Only Release
Projects Presents a Contemporary
Blend of Soul and Rhythm & Blues
Featuring Special Guest Appearances
by Lee Fields and Gregory Porter
"Not since Dusty Springfield invaded Memphis has a white female
singer dished up so flavorful a bucket of soul." - JazzTimes
OKeh will release vocalist Robin McKelle's label debut, Soul Flower, as a digital-only release on June 11, 2013.
The project, which consists of a contemporary blend of soul and rhythm
& blues and mostly original tracks, debuts her new working group, Robin McKelle & The Flytones.
While McKelle is best
known for her previous jazz and solo work, including placing third at
the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, this
project is the fruit of McKelle's long exposure to gospel, soul and
blues. "It's the record I've always dreamed of making," reflects
McKelle, who went into the studio with the aim of avoiding today's retro
tendencies. "I love that music so much that I couldn't see myself doing
something 'in the style of...' I grew up listening to Nina Simone and
Gladys Knight. I sang their classics and what I enjoy most today is
building my own repertoire in that same soulful vein."
McKelle insisted on recognizing her associates on this album, even down to the cover credit: Robin McKelle & The Flytones. This collective achievement with writers Sam Barsh and Derek Nievergelt (whom also plays bass on the album) is a soulful joint effort, which delivers a fresh and cohesive sound.
The project's
collaborative nature also includes joint ventures: two duets, two
encounters overflowing with emotion. On the first, she teams up with a
soul veteran who, after a long absence, has returned to the limelight
over the last few years: Lee Fields. "When I was
involved in jazz, there was all this revival - Raphael Saadiq, Sharon
Jones, I was aching to join in. Among all the artists was one I admired
more than anyone, especially after My World. Fields has great
presence and sincerity, so in the studio when we covered the Bee Gees'
'To Love Somebody,' I felt such a thrill. His voice was so powerful it
covered mine."
Another high point on the album is "Love's Work," an original number sung with Gregory Porter,
a rising star of vocal jazz whose reputation has spread beyond the jazz
world. "I saw him at a club in New York. He has an impressive voice and
a real sensitivity too," explains McKelle. Their duet is an unusual
exercise; the aim wasn't just to record a performance, but to build up a
genuine connection for the space of a few minutes to tell a story.
"That story is about a couple's relationship when they have to stand
firm and keep going when things get bad."
Throughout the album,
McKelle's voice unfailingly and expertly masters new dynamic and fragile
tones. "Don't Give Up" is deliberately measured, like a classic blues
number. A Wurlitzer and lazy organ accompany the singer's amorous
lament. On the very catchy "Change" - a gospel shuffle brought to the
boil by drums and organ - her sincerity and commitment take us back to
the sixties heyday of the protest song. Backed by Benjamin Stivers'
keyboards, the vocalist's pen dips lucidly into the ink of today's
gloomy news on "So It Goes." The singer shows great insight when it
comes to affairs of the heart also, as on "Tell You One Thing" brims
with Ray Charles-style orchestrations and backing vocals. The piano and
guitar solos are reminiscent of the musician's jazz backgrounds.
"Fairytale Ending" has a vintage, very northern-soul flavor reminiscent
of the legendary productions heard back in the sixties in clubs in the
North of England: a blend of Motown and Stax. McKelle ends the session
on a glamorous jazz note, with a cover of "I'm A Fool To Want You."
During her singing
career, McKelle has been through more than one renaissance. She came to
the public eye with a first album called Introducing Robin McKelle (2006), followed by Modern Antique (2008) - two big-band swing sessions. Another turning point came at the start of 2010, with Mess Around,
breaking with a certain classicism and exploring themes borrowed from
different songwriters - Leonard Cohen, Doc Pomus, Willie Dixon and The
Beatles - but especially marking a new aesthetic approach in the form of
a return to roots for the native of Rochester, New York.
Influenced by her
mother, a member of the church choir, the youngMcKelle began to show her
talent in R&B groups from the age of fifteen. After taking up the
piano and French horn, she studied jazz at the University of Miami
before attending and graduating from the Berklee College of Music in
Boston. Moving to the west coast, she regularly performed as a backing
singer with Michael McDonald and Bebe Winans. She subsequently went back
to the Berklee College Of Music as a teacher and entered the Thelonious
Monk competition in Washington, winning third place in 2004.
Ultimately, McKelle
enters a new chapter in her eventful history without looking back. "From
time to time, I think about it, but it's all a long way off now. I feel
as if I'm beginning something new with Soul Flower and I'm looking
forward to winning the public over on stage." Indeed, when she performs
live, Robin McKelle's singing talent takes on a whole new dimension.
 |
| Robin McKelle & The Flytones - "Fairytale Ending" |
Upcoming Robin McKelle Appearances
June 21 & 22 / Rochester Jazz Festival / Rochester, NY
September 28 / Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival / Boston, MA
Soul Flower - Track Listing:
1. So It Goes (Robin McKelle, Derek Nievergelt)
2. Tell You One Thing (Robin McKelle, Sam Barsh)
3. Nothing's Really Changed (Sam Barsh)
4. Fairytale Ending (Robin McKelle, Sam Barsh)
5. Miss You Madly (Robin McKelle, Sam Barsh, Derek Nievergelt)
6. Don't Give Up (Robin McKelle)
7. Walk On By (Burt Bacharach, David Hall -
Arrangement by Robin McKelle & The Flytones)
8. To Love Somebody feat. Lee Fields (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb -
Arrangement by Robin McKelle, Ben Stivers)
9. Change (Robin McKelle)
10. I'm Ready (Robin McKelle)
11. Love's Work feat. Gregory Porter (Robin McKelle, Derek Nievergelt)
12. I'm a Fool to Want You (Jack Wolf, Joel Herron, Frank Sinatra -
Arrangement by Robin McKelle, Ben Stivers)
Robin McKelle · Soul Flower
OKeh · *Release Date: June 11, 2013
*digital-only release
Sony
Masterworks comprises Masterworks Broadway, Masterworks, Okeh,
Portrait, RCA Red Seal and Sony Classical imprints. For email updates
and information please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com.
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