Robin McKelle - Impressions of Ella

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:35
Size: 112,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:19) 1. Old Devil Moon
(2:49) 2. My One and Only
(5:51) 3. Lush Life
(2:50) 4. How High the Moon
(4:17) 5. I Won't Dance
(4:40) 6. Embraceable You
(7:01) 7. Do Nothing Til You Hear from Me
(4:37) 8. Robbin's Nest
(3:49) 9. Taking a Chance on Love
(4:46) 10. April in Paris
(3:31) 11. Soon

Versatile US vocalist ROBIN McKELLE is maybe best known in the UK for her still marvellous song, ‘Fairytale Ending’. It first appeared on her ‘Soul Flower’ album and when it was released as a stand alone 7” vinyl single on Expansion it became something of a modern soul favourite. That was back in 2012 and since then Robin has released lots more music across all kinds of genres more soul (remember ‘Heart Of Memphis?), country and Americana amongst them but for her brand new long player Ms McKelle returns to where she started in the business jazz. Her first forays into the world of recording were with jazz albums and now she returns to that genre though with a very particular focus. As the above title suggests, Robin’s new record is an unashamed tribute to the art of Ella Fitgerald… a singer whom Robin has often cited as her greatest influence.

Ms McKelle says: “The concept of the music of Ella came about because she was my first introduction to vocal jazz. I learned so much from her singing the style of her swing feel and her singing resonates [with] me.” Consequently, Robin has chosen 11 songs forever associated with Ella and to help her deliver her “impressions” she’s helped out by a stellar trio Kenny Washington on drums, bassist Peter Washington, and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano. McKelle again: “I wasn’t intimidated to make music with them, but [their] résumés were like, ‘Wow!’ [Am I] going to be good enough? Are we going to connect? The exciting thing was having the opportunity to sing over them as a trio; that was such a huge joy.” And joy is evident right through the album. Singer and band gel and deliver with an optimism that only comes from players who just love to make the music they love.

The repertoire consists of plenty of well-known jazz standards (most given their definitive reading by Ms Fitzgerald). So enjoy 21st century takes on favourites like ‘Old Devil Moon’, ‘Lush Life’, ‘Taking A Chance On Love’ and ‘April In Paris’ but also listen up to new takes on lesser known items like the gentle ‘Soon’ and an obscure 1947 song, ‘Robbins Nest’. How could Robin McKelle ignore that one? And what a splendid job she makes of it full on scat in the best Ella Fitzgerald fashion.

Indeed throughout the album, Robin’s not overawed by the material or the iconic status of the singer she’s paying homage to. What an odyssey she’s been on since the late 1990s! ‘Impressions of Ella’ is Robin McKelle’s coming of age album. Her years of performing and recording now bear a generous, mature fruit. https://www.soulandjazzandfunk.com/reviews/robin-mckelle-impressions-of-ella-believe-naive/

Impressions of Ella

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Robin Mckelle - Alterations

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:05
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:14)  1. Back to Black
(4:30)  2. Rolling in the Deep
(3:39)  3. Head High
(5:43)  4. Don't Explain
(5:32)  5. Born to Die
(4:59)  6. Jolene
(5:30)  7. River
(5:25)  8. No Ordinary Love
(3:22)  9. Mercedes Benz
(5:07) 10. You've Got a Friend - Bonus Track

For her ninth album, ‘Alterations’, US soul and jazz chanteuse Robin Mckelle has chosen to do something very different to her previous recordings; she’s chosen to record a set of covers though not just any covers. The song selection on ‘Alterations’ (with one exception) is drawn from the repertoires of celebrated female artists… people like Joni Mitchell, Adele, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin. Robin explains that after recording a few albums of her own original music she wanted to focus once again on her first passion just singing and, by extension, interpreting the music and lyrics of others. So she set about choosing a set of songs which spoke directly to her emotions allowing her interpretative instincts to take flight… and how! ‘Alterations’ is no “karaoke covers” album; rather it’s a personal journey in music with each song given a totally different reading to the original version. That’s most apparent on Robin’s reading of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’. Where the original was sprightly, jaunty even, this new take is almost a southern soul meander on which the lyrics seem to have more desperation and meaning. Janis Joplin’s wish-list ‘Mercedes Benz’ is another southern country/soul steamer. The vocal’s smoother than Joplin’s but no less raunchy.

Much more sombre is the visit to Nina Simone’s ‘Don’t Explain’ which is offered with a pleading reassurance, as is the cover of Lana Del Ray’s ‘Don’t Explain’ where amongst the highlight is Marquis Hill’s trumpet solo… and that’s another of this collection’s attractions. The players, marshalled by keyboardist Shedrick Mitchell (Maxwell’s MD by the way), seem to understand the concept and play with love and empathy. Their CVs tell us that they are all rooted in jazz /soul and rock  and it shows. As an example try ‘Alterations’ version of Sade’s ‘No Ordinary Love’ where the band (notably guitarist, Nir Felder and bassist Richie Goods) work nimbly with Ms McKelle to gear up from a subtle understatement to an electric climax. The only original song on the album is McKelle’s own ‘Head High’ a song that tells a story about the strength and the power the female singer so, lyrically and, importantly, musically it chimes with the album’s theme. The other cover songs are Joni Mitchell’s ‘The River’, Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’, Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’ and Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ which, with just simple, tasteful piano accompaniment from Shedrick Mitchell, brings the collection to a most satisfying of ends. Find out more about this album by accessing our recent Robin McKelle interview. https://lydialiebman.com/index.php/2020/02/14/review-robin-mckelle-alterations-soul-and-jazz-and-funk/

Alterations

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Robin McKelle - Melodic Canvas

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:38
Size: 118.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[3:23] 1. Do You Believe
[5:52] 2. Lyla
[5:26] 3. Come To Me
[5:12] 4. Your're No Good
[5:36] 5. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
[5:27] 6. Simple Man
[4:23] 7. The Sun Died
[6:11] 8. Yes We Can Can
[5:36] 9. It Won't End Up
[4:28] 10. Il Est Mort Le Soleil

When thinking about making this record I was finding that I was really drawn to the idea of an acoustic sound. Using an instrumentation that would allow me to use more of the subtitles in my voice. I thought the idea of using percussion would give the music and earthy and warm vibe. And it would be totally different from anything I had done in the past.

A few other things happened around the time I started writing for the album. First, I had just come off a tour with Danilo Perez and Jazz 100. I was totally inspired by making music with Danilo and the band. (Chris Potter on Sax, Avishai Cohen on Trumpet, Ben Street on Bass, Adam Cruz on drums and Roman Diaz on Percussion). I also found that I was missing singing jazz. In a way, Melodic Canvas is like coming back to jazz. I’m a songwriter, singing jazz soul songs. I love that I’m able to use different timbres in the songs depending on what it calls for. It’s intimate and I love the idea that if you close your eyes, maybe you can visualize us playing the music in your living room. It’s not trying to be anything it’s not. It’s just the music that we played at that moment.

Last but not least, Trump had been elected and it seemed the world was crumbling to the ground… so I had a lot to write about.

Melodic Canvas mc
Melodic Canvas zippy

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Robin McKelle - Introducing Robin McKelle

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:07
Size: 89.6 MB
Styles: Adult Contemporary, Vocal jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[3:13] 1. Something's Gotta Give
[3:34] 2. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
[3:46] 3. Night & Day
[4:40] 4. For All We Know
[2:49] 5. You Brought A New Kind Of Love
[2:56] 6. Dream
[2:20] 7. Yes, My Darling Daughter
[3:47] 8. Deep In A Dream
[2:17] 9. I've Got The World On A String
[3:29] 10. Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:01] 11. The Lamp Is Low
[3:11] 12. On The Sunny Side Of The Street

The debut of vocalist Robin McKelle is a throwback to an earlier era, when singers were backed by big bands as they sang songs destined to become standards. Although McKelle doesn't break new ground in her interpretations of this material and doesn't take many chances, she is an expressive performer, opening with an exuberant, slightly breathy "Something's Gotta Give," followed by an enchanting cha cha treatment of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen." Vocalist Robbie Wykoff joins her for her a duet of "You've Brought a New Kind of Love to Me." She's clearly having fun in "Yes, My Darling Daughter," a forgotten number from the big band era, with a brief detour into a Latin setting. The orchestra, which sometimes adds a string section, brings life to the charts adapted or transcribed by trumpeter Willie Murillo and trombonist David Stout, while the band includes veteran jazz instrumentalists like clarinetist Gary Foster, guitarist Larry Koonse and tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb. ~Ken Dryden

Introducing Robin McKelle mc
Introducing Robin McKelle zippy

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Robin McKelle & The Flytones - Heart of Memphis

Styles: Vocal, Soul

Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:39
Size: 115,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. About to Be Your Baby
(2:45)  2. Good Time
(4:10)  3. Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
(3:52)  4. Control Yourself
(3:32)  5. Forgetting You
(4:43)  6. Heart of Memphis
(4:14)  7. Like a River
(4:16)  8. Easier That Way
(4:10)  9. What You Want
(3:09) 10. Good & Plenty
(3:07) 11. Baby You're the Best
(4:02) 12. Down with the Ship
(3:11) 13. It's over This Time

It certainly is rare to read about a soul/blues singer who once finished third in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal competition.  Originally from Rochester, NY, vocalist Robin McKelle migrated to France, where two recordings of big band swing material made her a star. Five years ago she began a transformation that took her through songs from composers like Willie Dixon and Doc Pomus to this latest recording that celebrates the musical legacy of the city of Memphis. McKelle’s  band, the Flytones, quickly serve notice that they have an innate understanding of  sweet soul music with Al Street on guitar, Ben Stivers on a multitude of keyboards, Derek Nievergelt on bass and Adrian Harpham on drums 7 percussion. Producer Scott Bomar certainly brings a wealth of experience to the project. He is the bass player for the Bo-Keys and learned how to work a studio alongside the legendary Willie Mitchell, leading to Bomar engineering two Al Green recordings. Two other members of the Bo-Keys add their considerable talents to the mix – Mark Franklin on trumpet & flugelhorn and Kirk Smothers on saxophones & flute. Sounding like a modern-day version of Dusty Springfield, McKelle possesses a rich, resonant voice that is used to tell stories, minus most of the vocal gyrations that infect many current vocal performances. She is a singer’s singer with a voice that can break your heart on “Easier That Way,” which borrows a horn riff from Rev. Green, or breathe fire into the dance-floor stomper, “Good Time”. On the title track, McKelle offers a reverential tribute to the people and magical sounds of the famed city over an easy-rolling rhythm punctuated by horn accents.

“About To Be Your Baby” sounds like it was borrowed from one of Ann Peebles classic recordings on Hi Records.  The full scope of the singer’s voice is revealed on “It’s Over This Time,” which starts out simmering at a slow boil as it builds to the climatic coda. The addition of a string section give tracks like “Control Yourself” and “Down With The Ship” a more contemporary R&B feel.  McKelle’s powerful voice cuts loose on “What You Want” as she demands some answers from a reluctant lover. Two covers head in opposite directions. O.B. McClinton’s “Forgetting You” adds a soulful country flavor while the Animal’s hit, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,”  gets an updating complete with Stivers on Farfisa organ injecting an eerie feel to the proceedings.  

The band is hitting on all cylinders on the up-tempo romp “Good & Plenty” while “Like A River” sports a stone-cold, seductive Memphis groove for more of McKelle’s forthright testimony on love and happiness. This project validates McKelle’s decision to move on from her jazz roots and embrace a new career course. Her gorgeous voice and spirited delivery combined with an exceptional brew of original material puts this one in the “Highly Recommended “category!  http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/robin-mckelle-the-flytones-heart-of-memphis-album-review/

Heart of Memphis

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Robin McKelle - Modern Antique

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 43:51

Size: 100.4 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 2009

Art: Front

[3:29] 1. Abracadabra

[3:21] 2. Comes Love

[3:36] 3. I Want To Be Loved

[4:39] 4. Lover Man

[3:43] 5. Cheek To Cheek

[3:21] 6. Day By Day

[6:13] 7. Save Your Love For Me

[2:47] 8. Go To Hell

[3:23] 9. Lullaby Of Birdland

[4:39] 10. Make Someone Happy

[4:36] 11. Remember

Robin McKelle is a California based singer who enjoys the big-band sound, as well as old-time singers like Peggy Lee and Dinah Washington, reflective in her voice. She has a slightly sultry, at times girlish sound that is striving for vintage sophistication, but also relies on contemporary song stylist precepts. She's not Norah Jones, Diana Krall, or Joni Mitchell by a long shot, and not trying to be. She sounds quite similar to Detroit based vocalist Kathy Kosins in her phrasing and affectations. The problem with this recording, her third, is that it is way overproduced, not in a contemporary synthesizer soaked way, for all of the arrangements are acoustically derived. But the rather large horn section and strings dominate this stylized singer on too many occasions. It will be good someday to hear her with a much smaller ensemble, but meanwhile, you have a fairly good representation of what McKelle sounds like doing a Las Vegas type show set. The program starts off smart enough with of a swinging and rousing version of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra," with McKelle tossing in some good scat singing. A montuno/Afro-Cuban take of "Comes Love" shows the sexy influence of Lee, while the slight contemporary light rock beat tacked on to "I Want to Be Loved" is a popular concession, but the orchestration drenches this tune. Veteran tenor saxophone soloist Pete Christlieb shines on the string infused easy swinger "Cheek to Cheek," while flugelhorn and trumpet guest Joe Magnarelli is strong and supple for the breezy "Day by Day" and stands out during the very complementary chart of "Make Someone Happy." McKelle scats again and quite effectively for "Lullaby of Birdland" with interesting staggered phrasings above a less orchestrated backdrop -- a good thing for her. She also plays piano while singing on her original, the closer "Remember," a pop ballad with strings and laden with the otherwise tasteful guitarist Larry Kuhns. This band has some other good players like trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, saxophonists Bob Shepard or Andy Snitzer, and bassist Reggie McBride, but their individualism is all but smothered. This CD will appeal to a certain audience, but there's nothing new or innovative, save the occasional vocal excursions of the clearly talented McKelle. ~Michael G. Nastos

Modern Antique

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Robin McKelle - Soul Flower

Styles: Jazz Vocals
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:41
Size: 116,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. So It Goes
(3:58)  2. Tell You One Thing
(3:34)  3. Nothing's Really Changed
(3:49)  4. Fairytale Ending
(5:09)  5. Miss You Madly
(3:41)  6. Don't Give Up
(3:12)  7. Walk On By
(4:06)  8. To Love Somebody
(3:42)  9. Change
(4:49) 10. I'm Ready
(4:29) 11. Love's Work
(4:47) 12. I'm A Fool To Want You

First, Robin McKelle & The Flytones Soul Flower is not neo-soul. Neo-soul is what Amy Winehouse was and Cee Lo Green is (at least on his "Forget You"). Neo-soul is a cheeky attempt to cash in on a classic style while, at the same time, not taking it seriously. Second, Soul Flower might be better termed retro-soul, except that McKelle avoids the pitfall of clinging too tightly to the old style that has plagued other artists trying to put a new spin on the soul canon. A mixture of originals with some clever covers make up Soul Flower. McKelle is a more than capable composer a roll she shares with Sam Barsh (bassist Avishai Cohen's former pianist).

For any Baby Boomer, Soul Flower can be eaten with a spoon. It is more Motown than Memphis by way of Muscle Shoals, and smacks of Bobbie Gentry having a pool party with Gladys Knight and the Pointer Sisters. McKelle possesses a contemporary authenticity that manifests in her assimilation of multiple older styles presented with a freshness that has the fragrance of experience re-imagined. Pianist Beat Kaestli Ben Stivers ' use of the electric piano lends this collection of a dozen songs that sound, which is at once retro and chic. This, coupled with McKelle's honesty, makes this a recording that should encourage a reappraisal of period soul and that being made today. And isn't that what all art is supposed to do? ~ C.Michael Bailey

  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=44970#.UjyFKhAkI5c

Personnel: Robin McKelle: vocals; Derek Nievergelt: bass; Adrian Harpham: drums; Ben Stivers: keyboards; Al Street: guitar, Scott Aruda: trumpet; Mike Tucker: saxophone.

Soul Flower

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