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| UK Jazz Singer & Songwriter Juliet Kelly Presents Glam Jazz With two critically acclaimed albums of original material under her belt - Aphrodite's Child (2003) and Delicious Chemistry (2005) - Juliet now presents her third and most ambitious album, Licorice Kiss (May 2009). Referencing influences as diverse as Soul II Soul, the Eurythmics and Soft Cell, she offers up her own take on some 80's classics alongside her own creations that range from toe-tapping grooves to latin-inflected ballads. Juliet says, "Jazz often gets labelled unfairly as an elitist type of music. Many people believe they don't like jazz because they don't realise just how varied it is. I've always strived to create jazz-influenced music that can be appreciated by a wider group than your usual jazz audience and it's paid off by fans telling me that they thought they didn't like jazz until they heard my music. It's got lots of different influences including pop, soul and reggae as well as jazz which is why I decided to come up with a new name for it. With my love for clothes, make up and shopping, Glam Jazz seemed to fit!" From the lilting groove of the lyrically sensual opener, Licorice Kiss, to the rock guitar solo on final track, Destiny, Licorice Kiss is an album that spans a wide range of moods and influences. These include the reggae-tinged rhythm of I'm Still Here, a latin-influenced version of the Soul II Soul classic, Back To Life and Juliet's drum-and-bass flavoured call to end the obsession with celebrity entitled Ordinary Lives. Juliet invites us to share more tender moments with Mutual Attraction (a tale of forbidden love with a subtle tango-esque groove) and her take on the Eurythmics seminal track, Here Comes the Rain Again, allows us to experience the rich, velvet tones of her beautifully haunting vocals. Becoming a jazz singer seemed an unlikely prospect for Juliet who grew up in London in a strict, religious household. In fact, all music apart from the religious variety was completely banned! Whilst studying for a degree in economics, Juliet discovered her natural talent for singing at a local music workshop. She had never sung in public before but it wasn't long before she was completely hooked. Within a year she had auditioned for and been accepted on to the postgraduate jazz course at London's prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since then, Juliet has worked with many outstanding musicians and performed in venues around the UK as well as in Ireland, Italy, Germany, Israel and Australia. Juliet's love for glamour was evident even at the tender age of 7 when she gave her new Barbie doll an extreme makeover that included blue felt-tip eye-shadow and a drastic haircut. Now she's a fully-fledged shopaholic with a passion - or should that be weakness? - for shoes, lipgloss and elbow-length gloves. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |