Austin based R&B soul singer and songwriter Kelly Hafner
is due to drop her debut studio album If it’s Love on February 22nd, 2019. Her
show-stopping voice and unmistakably improvisational style keep listeners
hooked from start to finish. Echoing the
traditions of her soul forebears like Etta James, Lauryn Hill, Marvin Gaye, and
Amy Winehouse, If it’s Love tests the boundaries of neo-soul in a refreshing
way while lyrically navigating the human experience through a young woman’s
eyes in the 21st century.
Kelly Hafner is a Berklee College of Music graduate, and
grew up in northern California. Upon graduation, she returned to the Bay Area
and began writing and recording music in her bedroom. She honed her live performance with a San
Francisco-based live band, Fire, before moving to Austin. It is there she began
her career as a solo artist and working on her new album. She met Sam Diaz,
guitarist on the upcoming album, at the local Jazz club the Elephant Room where
he was bartending. They immediately hit it off, Hafner recalls, “Sam was one of
the first people who I could openly write and make words up on the spot with,
after a week of hanging out we had written about five songs. We continue to
write new songs together now, 2 years later.”
For Kelly Hafner, the forthcoming album explores themes
focusing on human emotion and connections to oneself, life, God, and lovers.
Hafner explains, “Lots of these songs came out of a time when I was feeling
blue or experiencing the euphoria and/or heartache that comes with falling in
and out of love. All of the songs were cathartic, helping me to move through
life and release anything stuck in my mind.”
If It’s Love was recorded with a mix of Hafner’s Austin
based band, Sam Diaz (Guitar) and Daniela Pennycook (Violin); and a bevy of
talented studio musicians including the winner of Guitar Center’s nationwide
DrumOff in 2010 – Isaias Gil, John Shelton (Lead and Rhythm Guitars), Mark
Riddell (Bass), Derek Hames (Drums, Bass, Mellotron, Percussion, Background
Vocals), Jimmy Moreland (Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer), Preston Smith (Trumpet,
Flugelhorn), Andre Hayward (Trombone), and Andrae Grant (Saxophone). They
recorded at Edgewater Studios in Houston, produced by studio co-owner Derek
Hames (The Drugstore Gypsies, National Park Radio, The Buffalo Ruckus), and
engineered by studio co-owner John Shelton.
The new album takes a deep dive into a soulful journey that
highlights the depth of Hafner’s voice. The 10 track deep album keeps you
listening for more as Hafner’s voice takes you on a journey deep into Kelly
Hafner’s heart with songs like the deep vintage vocal-driven title track and
lead single “If it’s Love.” She comments, “It’s about having faith in trusting
your gut, your intuition when it comes to the person you’re meant to be with,
and the path to take in life. It’s half about falling in love and about going
through life authentically and without doubt. No matter how hard it is to
honestly reflect on where we’re at in the moment.” Hafner’s lyrics “Birds fly
high, time moves slow, somehow they always know where to go” highlight this
sentiment. The lead single is due to drop in January 2019.
Another highlight is “Things are changing,” a funky soul
head-bobber that includes an eight-piece ensemble to accompany Hafner
powerhouse vocals. For Kelly Hafner, “This song is about empowerment. It’s
about accepting myself for who I am, a singer, and making lemonade out of
lemons per say. It’s about a strong woman who has been through experiences that
have brought her down, and taking inspiration from them to make something
awesome rather than sitting around and crying about them.”
“Give Light” is a reggae tinged song that features the
memorable sounds of the Mellotron and gives it the warm and fuzzy feelings of
falling in love. Hafner says, “It’s about being accepted for who you are, and
loving who you’re with unconditionally. It’s about helping the person you love
instead of hurting them, because once you’re that close to someone they almost
feel like they’re a part of you.” A few more standouts include, “Dreams” an
inspirational ditty about going for what you want in life, “No time” is about
being unsure if your love will be returned, “Keep On Hanging On” is about hard
times, when you start to seek spiritual guidance in God, and knowing a good
friend will always be there for you, and “Angel” came about during a dark time
in Hafner’s life when she turned to meditation to find light through the
darkness.
In the end, Hafner’s view of her own music is what gives it
true soul. She explains, “This release
is for anyone who finds peace or happiness from listening to the songs, to
express truth rather than perfection, to be an understanding force for people
who need it, when they need it. There’s something special about communicating
with people through sound, before even meeting them. That I think is magic.”
Kelly Hafner is poised to release If It’s Love on February
22nd, 2019 via her imprint Smokey Jazz Records with distribution through The
Orchard. She will be touring in support of the new release next year. To catch
all of her tour dates, follow her here or here: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/12973490
Track Listing: If It’s Love
“If It’s Love”
“Dreams”
“Keep On Hanging On”
“Things Are Changin’”
“Lifted”
“No Time”
“Summergirl”
“On My Mind”
“Give Light”
“Angel”
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