hot honeyed soul
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photo by steed media service |
It was always evident that Melanie Rutherford was musically inclined. She was classically trained in vocal music and piano, which she also plays by ear. At 14, she began performing on the jazz circuit in downtown Detroit and its surrounding areas, where she was deeply influenced by the works of artists ranging from Rachelle Ferrell and Phyllis Hyman, to Afro-Euro pop celebrities, Les Nubians and Motown legend Gladys Knight. The result is a beautifully unique stage presence and groove-oriented show.
“Thanks to the delightful mixture of coffee houses, cabarets, festivals and the jazz and blues joints in the Motor City, I am a pretty well-rounded, funkified, soulful artist,” jokes Rutherford.
At 14, she began performing on the jazz circuit in downtown Detroit and the surrounding areas. Rutherford writes her own material and performs only original works. Her compositions include spoken word poems put to music, which invite the listener to stop in time and hang on her artful delivery. The young artist masterfully moans, whispers, and roars her affections and sometimes disdain for life’s pleasures, pains and lessons learned. “I try to use diverse rhythms and styles of written emotion to touch and identify with the audience. I aspire to leave an impression in words scrawled across the strands of their souls,” she states intensely.
Rutherford’s soulful, full-bodied timbre demands attention and her intricate musical phrasings leave her audience wanting more.–roz edward
