Press Release by: Celeste
Venue: The Pigalle Club (London, United Kingdom)
3rd July 2007 - “A unique new voice on the jazz scene who someday soon will require no introduction” - Jazz Week
“First-rate jazz album” - All About Jazz
- Top 10 Billboard chart entry
- A Barnes & Noble bestseller
- Extensive plays on BBC Radio 2
- Approaching 50000 sold in France
2nd July 2007 will mark the release of “Introducing”, Robin McKelle’s debut album that is already a best seller in the USA and Europe. Critics compare he voice to Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald! Produced by Willie Murillo (Brian Setzer Orchestra producer, Aimee Mann, LeAnn Rimes)
”Introducing” announces the arrival of a song interpreter without equal. Be prepared! It's a remarkable voice; a soul-infused alto tinged with haunting echoes of the postwar jazz greats and now its possessor, Robin McKelle, has inched closer to her inevitable destiny with the spotlight.
Having shared stages with revered artists such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard, Michael McDonald, Jon Secada and others, McKelle now assumes centre stage with a debut solo album that exuberantly
broadens the boundaries of retro-swing. “Introducing Robin McKelle” evokes the jazzy spirit of 1940's America, while retaining a contemporary edge that speaks of a new wartime. With its well-struck balance of potent swing and fearlessly sentimental balladry, the album heralds the arrival of a peerless interpretive artist.
In the UK McKelle has already won the affection of legendary broadcaster Michael Parkinson who has been regularly showcasing tracks from the record on his ever so popular BBC Radio 2 programme.
Working from a songbook that's over 70 years-old, McKelle and producer Murillo laboured to invest “Introducing Robin McKelle” with an up-to-date relevance”. Towards that goal, the duo employed old and new recording techniques, while coaxing some of McKelle's most emotive vocal performances. "As a younger jazz singer, I don't feel like I could relate to the lyrics as much," the singer says. "There's so much going on in a song like 'For All We Know.' You have to have loved and gone through those storms to be able to sing that song in a way that people will be touched by it. 'Cause when you're 20 years old, even though you could be in love, you don't have that life experience to draw upon.
‘Introducing…’ is released in the UK on 2nd July on the legendary Candid label, available to purchase from all good record stores and from www.candidrecords.com
Robin McKelle will mark the album release with a live performance at the Pigalle Club in London on 3rd July 2007, followed by an extensive worldwide tour. For more information on Robin McKelle and tour dates, visit: www.robinmckelle.com or www.myspace.com/robinmckelle
For more information: www.candidrecords.com