Recently, I was in a recording session with Kellylee Evans in Toronto. One has to be careful when in the studio with Kellylee, as it's really easy for the session to get scuttled by gab.
If it were simply a matter of small talk, one might resort to finger-wagging and tapping on one's wristwatch. But the truth is Kellylee is part comedienne, part raconteuse, part motivational speaker, and all pixie. She seems to be an endless fountain of enthusiasm and joie de vivre, and this is what makes it so challenging to stay on track when working with her.
Part of our wide-ranging conversation covered her life on the road (she's playing a lot of dates on both sides of the pond these days). She tells me that it's her live shows people seem to connect with the most.
This I totally understand. When the talking ceases, and Kellylee opens up her mouth to sing, something quite remarkable happens. That honey and smoke, velvety voice of hers gets to work on your central nervous system. I have been there enough times to know: when she is "in the zone", she transports an audience to a whole other place.
We most recently recorded Kellylee in Saskatoon, as part of the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. Check it out on Concerts on Demand, or tune in to Canada Live on May 30th, and you'll get a little bit of all the things I've mentioned: the enthusiasm, the comedy, the "pixieness", and of course, that unmistakable voice of hers.
I'm of the opinion that great things are in store for Kellylee Evans, and that shortly, you won't be able to hear her in a small nightclub in Saskatoon.
Peace,
A.C.
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