vocal jazz // swing jazz As the days become shorter and the nights get colder, I find myself immersed in smooth tasty retro swing and vocal jazz. Robin McKelle's Modern Antique (2008) provides with that tasty kind of vibe that sounds so good while sipping warm apple cider. Indeed, Robin's repertoire is "antique" - mostly songs from the 40's to early 60's, yet her approach is fresh. Her retro-big-band-swing interpretation of Steve Miller's pop hit "Abracadabra" is an absolute gem. It's so charming, inventive [...]
Grrrr, my internet's been cutting in/out all day... and the only cure is a monster batch of even more 80s covers! Here are some that didn't make the first cut , mostly because they don't carry the same personal resonance as some of those earlier picks. Some I just plain forgot to include and the 80s police got mad at me. The Pigeon Detectives - The Power of Love [originally by Huey Lewis & The News] Tropical Jazz Big Band XI - [...]
Here's a change of pace. I was going through some songs in the inbox, randomly clicking here and there and not reading, just listening when man, this jazz song sounds familiar, is it Ella? What is that? Ohh, its Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band! I'm too lazy to look it up but I think this is the second Abracadabra cover I've posted. Its a song that's given to genre leaping cover versions and it tricks me every single time. Boston vocalist Robin McKelle's album Modern Antique is out [...]
Yesterday saw the release of Robin McKelle's second album, "Modern Antique." As a great fan of her first album, I was happy to see that she is rocking some more of those jazz standards. Since Lavay Smith doesn't put out albums anymore, I have to get my good standards where I can find 'em, and McKelle is worth every penny paid to iTunes - in my opinion, this album even tops her 2005 release. Her voice simply flies on wings of trumpeting eagles, people. Comparatively, you can think of the standards album Queen Latifah released [...]
Robin McKelle's "people" claim she's inspired by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, which immediately made me skeptical only because that seems too cliché. Almost any artist with a big voice backed by bigger horns has dibs on comparing themselves to icons of the 1940s. However, I apologize because I was wrong to be so skeptical; it's actually an ideal claim. The Boston-based diva is currently touring her big band jazz through Europe but is all set for a US celebration of her sophomore effort, Modern Antique , this August. With rich horns, James [...]
Robin McKelle's debut album – Introducing Robin McKelle – was a hit. She is back with her big band, swing sound on " Modern Antique ". At thirty, Robin is making music that could have come from the '40s. This Berklee grad belts out her jazzy vocals with sass and verve. Her big backup band adds nuances and color – they don't hijack the song. If I had gotten this email a few weeks ago, Robin would have been featured during Jazz Week . Listen: [...]
Robin McKelle and her version of "Abracadabra" are discombobulating. It is an anachronistic chunk of big band swing in an era of drum machines and lyrics about conspicuous consumption. It is a song your grandmother would like. It is-yes indeed-a cover of the Steve Miller Band's 1982 hit. It is sung by a white (really?) 30 year old (huh?). None of which detracts in the slightest bit from the fact that this is a brilliant song that comes off with such ease it is tough to realize how much work must have gone into both [...]
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