Robin McKelle
"On her smashing 2006 debut, this Boston based chanteuse displayed elegance, musicality and interpretive powers that recalled greats
like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Going note-to-note with a
killing big band, McKelle combines Ann Hampton Callaway's moxie with
Anita O'Day's sultriness."
Top 3 Jazz Albums of the Year (Modern Antique 2008)
Ashante Infantry / Toronto Star
Robin McKelle—remember the
name.
Harvey Sidars / Jazz Times
She often sounds a lot like
Anita O’Day, except when she sounds eerily like Nancy Wilson. She’s
blessed with O’Day’s indefatigable verve as well as her innate sense of
swing, and echoes Wilson’s relaxed authority. Two years ago, she
delivered a dynamite debut disc, "Introducing Robin McKelle," embracing
a retro bigband vibe with the ease and intelligence of a softer-edged
Bette Midler. Now she’s back with a second big-band effort even better
than the first. For fans of gorgeous standards lovingly nestled
in ideal settings and sung with impeccable beauty and style, "Modern
Antique" is essential listening.
Christopher Loudon / Jazz Times
After two hit jazz albums
(‘Introducing Robin McKelle’ and ‘Modern Antique’), songstress Robin
McKelle breaks with her former classicism to bring us a magnificent new
album that spans rhythm ‘n’ blues, soul and jazz with huge talent and
authority.
This as yet little-known but dazzling dimension of the singer’s art
covers an entire tradition of great soul music (by Ray Charles and Nina
Simone especially) expressed with rare power and authenticity.
Along with covers of standards by Willie Dixon, Arthur Hamilton and Doc
Pomus, as well as self-penned songs, Robin McKelle includes
highly-successful, original takes on titles by Leonard Cohen, the Gibb
brothers (The Bee Gees) and Lennon & McCartney. She is ably backed
by a formidable group of musicians. Among them is Fred Wesley (James
Brown’s legendary trombonist), who has contributed two superb arrangements to the album legendary sax player Houston
Person on t wo tracks.
“I’ve wanted to do this kind of album for a long time. It’s a project
that spans a number of genres: soul, blues and jazz - all musical
styles I love and which define my personality. It’s an organic,
flesh-and-blood record, recorded with musicians close to me. It has
quite a 60s flavour, inspired by the albums Ray Charles and Nina Simone
were making at the time.” Robin McKelle’s husky warm contralto more
than measures up to these rhythm ’n’ blues songs, which suit her
natural expressiveness perfectly. As one jazz diva after another took
to the airways, Robin (originally from Rochester in New York State)
needed to stand out from the competition in record shops. “On stage,
people have an idea of who I am. I’ve always made room for this kind of
repertoire in my concerts, but on record, it took me a while to express
this character trait, this enthusiasm.
Consequently, Mess Around focuses on the singing, rejecting today’s
over-aseptic production trends. The result should delight the eclectic
audiences who have followed her on tour (especially in Europe) and win
over new fans, who will be enchanted by the immediate impact of the
record, which they will want to play again and again.
.
Introducing Robin
McKelle" "Modern
Antique
# 6
Billboard Jazz Charts #24 Billboard Jazz Charts
Downloads
Note: all of the documents, audio and video samples below
can be downloaded and used in your publicity by opening the item and
then saving to your computer. Or you can copy the link and use
the link on your website by right clicking on the link and then
selecting "Copy link location".
Audio & Video Samples
 EPK
for new album "Mess Around" (2010 Koch/E1 and Sony)
 "Mess
Around"
from "Mess Around" (mp3 sample)
"Everybody
Knows"
from "Mess_Around" (mp3 sample)
"Cry
Me
A River" from 'Mess Around" (mp3 sample)
Robin
McKelle and Bobby McFerrin at Jazz in Marciac
 Interview
on
NPR
with
Susan
Stamberg
"Abracadabra"
from
Modern
Antique
"Cheek
to
Cheek
from
"Modern
Antique"
(mp3
sample)
"Day_by_Day"_from
"Modern_Antique"
(mp3
sample)
"Something's
Gotta
Give"
from
"Modern
Antique
(mp3
sample)
Biography
Robin McKelle
bio 2010
Hi-Res
Photos
Robin
McKelle 2011 hi-res photo
Robin
McKelle
300
dpi
photo #1
Robin
McKelle
300
dpi
photo
# 2
Robin
McKelle
300
dpi
photo
# 3
Reviews
Summary
of
Reviews
(pdf)
Rochester
City
News Festival Preview
Review_"Mess_Around"_Jazz_&_Blues_Report
(pdf)
Toronto
Star
Review
of
Modern
Antique
Toronto
Star
Picks
Modern
Antique
Top
3
Albums
of 2008
Billboard
Charts
Jazz
Times
Review
of
"Introducing
Robin
McKelle"
JazzTimes
Review
of
"Modern
Antique"
Blog
Critics
Review
of
Modern
Antique
All
About
Jazz
Review
#1
of
Modern
Antique
All
About
Jazz
Review
#2
of
Modern
Antique
Jazz 90.1
Rochester Top 100 Albums for 2008
Interviews
Robin
McKelle
Interview
from
JazzReview.com
(2008)
Robin
McKelle
Interview
All
About
Jazz
(2008)
Artist
Home
Page
www.robinmckelle.com
www.myspace.com/robinmckelle
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