Carlee Smith, jazz singer and song writer

From The Oregonian | Sound Check

Friday, November 26, 2004
By KYLE O'BRIEN

CARLEE SMITH SAYS HELLO TO SOLO CAREER -- A powerhouse voice can ignite instant applause in an audience. Think Aretha, Etta, even Fantasia.

Carlee Smith looks to join those ranks. After years as a feature singer with her father's group, Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Co., the strong-voiced Smith has finally released her debut solo CD, "Yesterday I Said Good-bye."

It's a smart mix of funk, soul, R&B, blues and jazz -- a sound not heard much on the radio anymore, but considering the staying power of groups like Tower of Power, and Blood, Sweat & Tears, there are plenty of fans of funkified soul out there.

The disc will draw comparisons to groups like TOP and Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, with its horn-powered soul. It kicks in with funky rhythms right out of the gate, with the James Brown/Marva Whitney tune "What Do I Have to Do to Prove My Love to You," with Smith's mighty vocals leading the way.

Smith obviously knows a few folks around town, since her disc features some of the top R&B and jazz players in town, including guitarist Jay "Bird" Koder, bassist Phil Baker, and saxophonists Renato Caranto and Tim Bryson. Carl Smith does a nice job on his tenor sax solo on "Use Me," and longtime Portland vocal favorite Andy Stokes mixes it up with Carlee Smith as the two share lead vocals on that same funky Bill Withers tune. Smith sings it like a blues mama, with sass, attitude and a big voice.

Smith started singing with her dad back in the late 1970s, and cites influences as diverse as Chaka Khan, Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin. She has sung jazz, blues and R&B with groups around town, lately with Norman Sylvester, but her voice is classically trained.

"I always go back to classical technique," said Smith. "Studying classical scales has really helped my voice."

But it's R&B that sparked her first solo venture.

"R&B moves my soul," she said.

Smith had been waiting to raise the capital to do her own recording.

"I've wanted to do my own project for about 10 years," she said.

When it came time to put it all together, she enlisted the help of songwriter Jennifer Eland, who also produced the disc.

"Curtis Salgado recommended I call her several years ago -- we just kind of really clicked together. She's a great songwriter. She sang with the Esquires back in the '80s."

Eland is responsible for five tracks on "Yesterday I Said Good-bye," with several co-written with Smith. Eland also played keyboards and sang backup vocals on many of the tunes, and she'll be in the band for Smith's upcoming CD release party.

Smith hopes that this recording will help establish her as a solo artist around town, and with any luck, it won't be 10 years before she records her next disc.

"I put my all into this one," she said.

Kyle O'Brien is a Portland freelance writer.