Lucy in The September Issue of Italian Vogue in the story "International Artists to Watch"
On a mini-tour in South America right now with Rod Stewart. Argentina - Uruguay - Chile. This is me backstage after sound check in Montevideo, Uruguay. On my way to catering to get me some more dulce de leche. That's how we roll this week.
My dear Brooklynite friend Josh Shneider asked me to sing a few songs on his Big Band project last year. This is an absolutely gooorgeous record. It's called The Love Speaks Orchestra and probably one of the best band names I've come across. Cuz it's trueee...
This was a first for me to sing vocal takes live with the 19 piece band. The players on this record were so solid that it actually felt like surfing on a sound wave or something. Is that too out there? They just carried me.
Check out Josh's original song "The Hurting Kind" on my music page. I wanted to record this song over and over just because I couldn't actually get enough of the melody. I also sang another original of his "When Love Speaks" and the classic "Lost in the Stars" (one of my favorite Tony Bennett standards). The record is getting quite a bit of jazz radio airplay so check out your local listings.
While touring much of this past year with Rod Stewart, I've been writing and recording on my off time for my next release. My longtime collaborators//partners in crime Henry Hey (David Bowie, George Michael) and Michael League (Snarky Puppy) and I came together with lots of musically-infused thoughts after touring and hanging (and dirty martini-ing). I wanted to bring the rawness of what I did on the road into the studio with touches of film noir textures and backdrops.
We recorded it at The Magic Shop in NYC with our über-talented friends. Fusing some of my darling longtime NYC bandmates and Michael's band Snarky Puppy, the sound is dirty, soulful and full of beautiful string and horn arrangements. We even yanked Saw Lady out of the NYC subway to have her haunt the record with her saw playing. The phenomenal Nic Hard is mixing now and maaaannnn, oh man...
I'm very excited to share it with you as I continue on my record-making journey (record numero 4!).
The Goods is my new girlband with Holly Palmer & Michelle Lewis. I love us. Think Bridget Jones meets The anti-Andrews Sisters. We sang crazy good and just basically sit around writing songs trying to make each other laugh. We just released our first EP and our video for "Happy That It's You!" is out soon. UK's The Mail on Sunday just reviewed us saying "they are like The Andrews Sisters re-written by Tina Fey." Kinda sums it up. Check us out. We make you laugh long time.
They won the Grammy!
Snarky Puppy's latest CD/DVD "Family Dinner, Volume 1" is a live concert that took place at The Jefferson Center in Roanoke, Virginia. Eight singers were asked to be a part of it - Lalah Hathaway, Shayna Steele, Magda Giannikou, N'Dambi, Chantae Cann, Tony Scherr and myself. Bandleader Michael League and Snarky Puppy re-created new arrangements of our original compositions, pressed record and the rest was magic.
The album just won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance for Lalah Hathaway's "Something", which is absolutely stunning. Two of my songs were featured: "He Got Away" from my Verve record "Hooked!" and one of my newer songs "Too Hot To Last" which was written by Michael League and myself. "Too Hot To Last" will also be featured on my next solo 2014 release (yes, I am working on a new record, people!).
I've collaborated a lot over the past few years with Snarky Puppy, who are total family to me - touring, writing and recording so watching this record come together was one of the most musically fulfilling weeks of my life. Aaaand the best part about the record that all proceeds will go to Music Lab, children's music program created by The Jefferson Center. Check out the videos for "Too Hot To Last" and "He Got Away". Viva pups.