finetune artist: Rachelle Ferrell

b. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. Ferrell, who studied composition and arranging at the Berklee College Of Music, first attracted attention singing jazz in and around Philadelphia. Later, while teaching in New Jersey music colleges, she began developing a localized reputation as a session singer for leading artists including Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones. Her debut album was released in Japan in 1990 (it belatedly received a US issue five years later). Determined not to be pigeonholed, with the inevitable career restrictions this brings, she extended her repertoire, which had at first been dominated by standards, to encompass R&B, and gradually developed a broader, but still jazz-conscious, range. In 1992, Ferrell signed a contract that allows her to release urban-orientated material on Capitol Records, and jazz for Blue Note Records. She has an astonishingly wide range, but unlike so many technically gifted singers, Ferrell uses her multi-octave potential with care and mature thought. She is also a highly respected composer and arranger, and a compelling live performer. An eight-year recording hiatus was ended in autumn 2000 by the release of the superb Individuality (Can I Be Me?).

Listen to Rachelle Ferrell at Finetune.

Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This
With Open Arms
'Til You Come Back to Me
Wounds In The Way
Welcome to My Love