Award-winning jazz chanteuse Robin Barnes will release “Songbird Sessions” on August 26
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. For more information, please visit www.RobinBarnesMusic.com.
“Songbird Sessions” contains the following songs:
“Great Day”
“Little Jazz Bird”
“My Funny Valentine”
“Ruler of My Heart”
“The Way Young Lovers Do”
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