Artist History
Ray Charles didn't need to meet singer Tracey Whitney to know she was his ideal back-up vocalist. Called to audition for The Genius of Soul's backing group, The Raylettes, Tracey left her demo behind when Charles couldn't make their meeting. Later that afternoon, his management phoned to say shed landed the gig. Ray just listened to my tracks and said, "shes got it", Tracey recalls. Four days later, I was on stage singing with him at the Hollywood Bowl. Luckily, Tracey was no stranger to the stage. At age 11, she debuted at the famed Coconut Grove in Los Angeles as a member of The Whitney Family, a group that included her mother and seven brothers and sisters. For more than a decade, the Los Angeles-based singing sensations toured the world, recorded 2 albums featuring the Billboard Magazine Top Singles Pick, Let me Be Your Woman, and made guest appearances on numerous TV shows. My parents were both singers, and all eight of their kids came out singing, she says. After leaving the family band, she continued performing locally and even spent five years singing in Japan.
On her solo debut, Love, A Fable in 9 Acts, Tracey's rich, sultry voice seduces and soothes, revealing her lifelong vocal mastery but never turning showy or self-indulgent. A return to the soulful love songs of yesteryear, the Smooth Soul record celebrates romance and turns heartache into hope, prompting even the most jaded listener to believe in love again. Its a classic and timeless approach to songwriting that Tracey makes fresh and extraordinary with her infectious devotion to romance. I'm inspired by songwriters who are doing something thats almost old-fashioned, she says. I want my music to tell a story.
Like her much-revered influences Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack, her songs tell tales of love lost and rediscovered, the exquisite pain and undeniable glory found in giving your heart to another. And Love, A Fable in 9 Acts certainly isn't lacking in the steamy side of Soul and R&B either. In her cover of the Barry White classic, I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby, Tracey heats things up with a sophisticated sensuality that honors the originals irresistible luster and stirs in her own signature allure. Throughout Love, A Fable in 9 Acts, Ms. Whitney entices and enchants with her stunning command of harmony, a vocal finesse first honed by her family and later perfected in her work with Ray Charles. When I first started singing with Ray, my harmonic sense was already very solid from performing with my family for so long, says Tracey, who sang the fourth part in The Raylettes five-part harmony. But touring with him expanded my original concept of harmony, which had always been so valuable to me, and singing the fourth part forced me to hear bigger harmonies than I'd originally heard in my head. Working with Ray was tough, but Im so grateful for the experience.
My love for jazz and my love for R&B female vocalists really come together to influence the melodies that I hear in my head. Like Sade, Tracey Whitney uses that jazz-inflected sound as a backdrop for her smooth soul style, an intoxicating formula that sublimely complements her soul- affirming lyrics. What Im trying to create with my music is that old-school kind of romantic feel, Tracey says. I'm singing for people who want what I consider to be real songs, who need to hear that romance in their music again.
Tracey Whitney Blog
"Love...A Fable in 9 Acts" Reviewed by RadioIndy.com!
| POSTED BY: momof5pacs | POSTED ON: 30 Mar 2008 05:45 AM | ||
 "Love...A Fable in 9 Acts" by Tracey Whitney is a smooth jazz album that takes you on a journey through the trials and tribulations of love. Tracey is a veteran of the music industry and her voice is deep, sultry and warm. Accompanying her are sounds and arrangements that take you back to the classic days of R&B. These soundscapes are jazzy and soulful with a heavy Gospel influence. Highlights include the sexy-to-the-max "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby". Couldn't help but think of the great Barry White when listening to this one. "How Can You Stop Loving Someone" has some nice breaks and an intimate vocal performance. You'll get another great vocal performance on "A Woman In Love". If you like Sade and Roberta Flack, you'll like this one. -William and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer TeamCheck out Tracey Whitney's music on RadioIndy.com with link to purchase and links to popular sites |
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Welcome To My Life
| POSTED BY: traceylwhitney | POSTED ON: 06 Mar 2008 06:30 AM | ||
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