Having conquered hearts locally
and captured media acclaim as “The Songbird of New Orleans,” award-winning jazz
singer Robin Barnes is preparing to spread her soulful song beyond The Big
Easy. On August 26, the powerfully-voiced siren who was named the Favorite New
Orleans Musician earlier this year by New Orleans Magazine will issue her
second EP, “Songbird Sessions,” on the Rhythm Elevation Records label. Barnes
and bassist Pat Casey produced the intimate five-song acoustic jazz date of
standards and gems made famous by her seminal influences such as New Orleans
icons Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas. The first track being serviced to radio
is Barnes’s smoldering and sultry rendition of Thomas’s “Ruler of My
Heart.”
Backed by Casey, drummers and percussionists Herlin Riley
and Shannon Powell, and guitarists Steve Masakowski and Danny Abel, Barnes
soars mightily on “Songbird Sessions.” Confident and assured, the
twenty-something chanteuse unveils unadulterated passion with poise and in
complete command on the rousing spiritual “Great Day” and the gentle jazz
lullaby “Little Jazz Bird.” Barnes’s arresting take of Van Morrison’s “The Way
Young Lovers Do” haunts. On the classic “My Funny Valentine,” her aching,
delicate croon depicts an intrepid artist confronting her fragility head
on.
“’Songbird Sessions’ is about spreading my wings and singing
with my soul. This little jazz bird is taking a leap and following a dream. The
EP is made up of songs that I've been passionate about while growing up in New Orleans.
This music helped me express my heart though song. I wanted to do something
more intimate for this record with just vocals, bass, guitar and drums.
Sometimes it was scary because it's just me and my vocals. There’s no big band
or sounds to help cover my vulnerability or distract the listener. The tracks
are open and powerful, but it's just me. As a young artist, I'm finding my
voice and my self. Jazz has impact and power. I want to remind the world how
amazing jazz music is,” said Barnes, who begins a six-week residency at the
House of Blues in New Orleans on July 28 and will celebrate the EP at a
hometown record release concert at Peaches Records on August 27.
Barnes has come a long way since she started singing in
church as a six-year-old and going on to performing in her family’s jazz band.
Two years ago, she won Offbeat magazine’s Outstanding Millennial in Music
Award. Her weekly gigs in New Orleans have not only endeared her to the city,
but have brought national fanfare including a performance on “NCIS: New
Orleans” as well as an abundance of press coverage in the pages of ESPN,
Forbes, Ebony, Southern Living , Travel + Leisure and Southwest Magazine. Having
become synonymous with the distinctive sounds of New Orleans by being featured
in various media and marketing campaigns promoting the Crescent City, Barnes
has adorned the cover of area newspapers and magazines and maintains a regular
presence on local television. Her leadership role includes her running club,
“Move Ya Brass,” which counts over 200 runners in the fitness program she
created to help motivate her to get fit after recovering from a near fatal
kidney ailment four years ago. Barnes’s first EP, “Me,” was a soul-pop effort
released in 2013.
www.RobinBarnesMusic.com.
“Songbird Sessions” contains the following songs:
“Great Day”
“Little Jazz Bird”
“My Funny Valentine”
“Ruler of My Heart”
“Great Day”
“Little Jazz Bird”
“My Funny Valentine”
“Ruler of My Heart”
“The Way Young Lovers Do”
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