My best friend, Oliver, pummeled me w/ a couple of YouTube videos of Miss Bell about a year ago, which I ignored because he always does that. Then, I got another taste when the Oakland native, Chris Turner (pictured left), invited her up on stage during his show last year. I thought to myself, "What TONE!" If you listen closely, you can hear where Jennah's voice, left untrained, could have gone awry. There's this wild, jazz/funk mixture in the character of her voice that cries out for the control that the best singers have over their instrument. While jamming w/ Chris over a funky rendition of Sly's "If You Want Me To Stay," Jennah piqued my interest in her music, and now... I am a fan! Her guitar hardly ever leaves her side, which I love as well, and she definitely has that vocal control. Check out one of my favorite collaborations HERE, and find Jennah by clicking the pic below.
DISCOVERY ONE: JENNAH BELL
I made this next discovery thanks to the homie, Talia, who has already written extensively on Gwen Bunn HERE, so please check out t
hat blog as well. What I like most about Gwen is that what I've heard from her is self-written and produced, yet none of her material lacks polish. It's clear that she has studied at the Berklee College of Music, but without losing her personal swagger. What strikes me most is Gwen's songwriting. On "Right Now," her language is straightforward, almost conversational, a style of songwriting that I first began to appreciate when Musiq came out with his first project. "Let Me," left me impressed by her production skills. If you're a frequenter of this blog, you know how much I appreciate cohesive production and absolutely abhor sucky production. Dare I say, Gwen Bunn is truly a breath of fresh air in an industry that does not appreciate female producers, nor does it highlight them. I appreciate that from what I've heard so far is an artist stay true to her form, without versatility being negated. Find Gwen Bunn by clicking the pic below:
I made this next discovery thanks to the homie, Talia, who has already written extensively on Gwen Bunn HERE, so please check out t
hat blog as well. What I like most about Gwen is that what I've heard from her is self-written and produced, yet none of her material lacks polish. It's clear that she has studied at the Berklee College of Music, but without losing her personal swagger. What strikes me most is Gwen's songwriting. On "Right Now," her language is straightforward, almost conversational, a style of songwriting that I first began to appreciate when Musiq came out with his first project. "Let Me," left me impressed by her production skills. If you're a frequenter of this blog, you know how much I appreciate cohesive production and absolutely abhor sucky production. Dare I say, Gwen Bunn is truly a breath of fresh air in an industry that does not appreciate female producers, nor does it highlight them. I appreciate that from what I've heard so far is an artist stay true to her form, without versatility being negated. Find Gwen Bunn by clicking the pic below:DISCOVERY TWO: GWEN BUNN
The wonders of Twitter introduced me to Gretchen Parlato, when the twitter homie, Krea, said "Dom, I think you'll dig this..." WHOA. She was a
bsolutely correct. A jazz beast discovered in the music of Gretchen left me breathless and YouTube searching and favoriting everything I heard. What I love, so far, is when classics like SWV's "Weak" are flipped into straight jazz mode. In this case, you can clearly hear the classical training that went on, and I don't mind it. Jazz is a genre that uses classical form to break the rules of music, and Gretchen continues to break the rules in all of her music. It is she I'd much rather hear on the radio, played a gazillion times a day in the rotation. In fact, ClearChannel could put all three of these women in rotation on a consistent basis, if they really wanted to make my day. Also, don't sleep on her version of "Holding Back the Years," a song which is one of my favorites. I am soooooo glad I was put on to this singer's music. The more I read about her, the later I realize I am in knowing of her genius. You should catch up, too. Find Gretchen by clicking the pic below:
The wonders of Twitter introduced me to Gretchen Parlato, when the twitter homie, Krea, said "Dom, I think you'll dig this..." WHOA. She was a
bsolutely correct. A jazz beast discovered in the music of Gretchen left me breathless and YouTube searching and favoriting everything I heard. What I love, so far, is when classics like SWV's "Weak" are flipped into straight jazz mode. In this case, you can clearly hear the classical training that went on, and I don't mind it. Jazz is a genre that uses classical form to break the rules of music, and Gretchen continues to break the rules in all of her music. It is she I'd much rather hear on the radio, played a gazillion times a day in the rotation. In fact, ClearChannel could put all three of these women in rotation on a consistent basis, if they really wanted to make my day. Also, don't sleep on her version of "Holding Back the Years," a song which is one of my favorites. I am soooooo glad I was put on to this singer's music. The more I read about her, the later I realize I am in knowing of her genius. You should catch up, too. Find Gretchen by clicking the pic below:DISCOVERY THREE: GRETCHEN PARLATO
The moral of this story is that there is much better music out there than what is on the radio... hopefully, that will change. Here are three examples of music that I may have never found, had it not been for a severe passion for music and the help of equally passionate friends.
The moral of this story is that there is much better music out there than what is on the radio... hopefully, that will change. Here are three examples of music that I may have never found, had it not been for a severe passion for music and the help of equally passionate friends.
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