Review by Tracy Heck for Examiner.com!
Whitton releases Rare Bird
Tracy Heck
, Detroit Live Music Examiner - October 1, 2011
Singer/songwriter Jaime Whitton is bringing the big band era back with the release of her latest album Rare Bird, which came out on Tuesday.
Whitton’s voice is a throwback to the days of Billie Holiday but with a modern twist that harkens more towards Norah Jones and the contrast between the vintage and current bluesy pop is a delight to listen to.
Whitton herself cites Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley as two of her biggest influences and certainly many of her songs also have a folksy feel to them, “I love the music of the forties and the big band era and I always wanted to bring that into my own music. With this album I also brought in a flare of Americana.”
Whitton’s love of music began at a early age after being born into a musical family as the youngest of six children.
Whitton says her parents chose to have that many kids because of their love for the movie the Sound of Music, “I was raised in a house of musicians so it was always there. I began performing at the age of 6.”
However, after her family moved to the L.A. area Whitton’s musical career really took off and is most responsible for the artist she is today.
When asked about being from Reno, Nevada and that besides the Killers it does not seem that much music comes out of the area Whitton laughed and explained that yes it is true that the area does not feature a big musical background and that you really had to search for it.
Although she is a naturally a observer and loves to play guitar she found herself in the singer role as the result of some personal tragedy but feels at home there now.
She is involved in the writing and creation of all of her music and with the self-released Rare Bird she worked with Peter Fox (Rachel Yamgata) and Joe Solo (Macy Grey) as well as engineer Michael James (Hole).
Rare Bird is one of those albums that you can sit down and be involved in all the way through; there are no filler tracks.
The album opens with the fun, spirited “Turn Off the Light” and continues on with tracks like the powerful “Monster” and the energetic “B Sting”, which Whitton says is her favorite track off of the album and her favorite to play live.
“Turn Off the Light” is the first single off of the album and features Whitton as the bored housewife searching for the light in her own life.
As long as the funds are there Whitton does plan to release more videos with “B Sting” being tops on her list, “It’s such a great track to perform live and I would love to do a video for it as well.”
Whitton says that performing live is her favorite thing to do and that people should come out to her shows because, “It is all about the connection between myself and the audience. Seeing the fans singing my lyrics and feeling the songs is what it is about and I think that connection is what people look for.”
Depending on the situation Whitton sometimes is backed up by a 7-10 piece band but at times goes out with a trio or quartet behind her creating a more stripped down version of the songs and making it a unique experience for the audience.
Whitton is currently just scheduled for a few shows in Nevada and Los Angeles but is planning a longer tour in the Spring towards the end of February and beginning of March.
There are many areas she has not been to yet including the Detroit area and she hopes to hit all of them and eventually move out of the country as well.
She says that the Seattle area is one of her favorite places to play after falling in love with the city while out exploring.
She says she enjoys wandering off while out on tour and exploring especially since, “People watching is my favorite thing to do. It’s a great way to get lyrical inspiration.”
Whitton’s music has been finding a home in the entertainment world being featured on shows like Dexter and in movies like the upcoming Charlie Sheen film All I Want To Do.
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