JULIE MCKEE: What A Woman Shouldn't Do

Julie McKee

What A Woman Shouldn't Do

© 2008 Julie McKee (634479783913)

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Plucky, satirical jazz-pop from singer-songwriter with a penchant for seeing the flipside of life. "One of the finest collections of jazz-imbued pop you'll hear in all of 2008," Wildy's World, New York.

tracks

1 Nobody's Farm
2 All About You
3 Eric Marlow
4 Carousel
5 It Just So Happens
6 The Experts
7 Summer Weather In My Heart
8 Nine Years Old
9 Mount Vesuvius
10 Angel Song
11 What A Woman Shouldn't Do

notes

"Look out. Here comes Julie McKee. Julie McKee has created one of the finest collections of jazz imbued pop you'll hear in all of 2008. What A Woman Shouldn't Do combines gorgeous music, intelligent and witty lyrics, and a voice you pray just won't stop singing. Imagine if you took genetic material from Annie Lennox, Fiona Apple and Jane Siberry and mixed them all up together: you'd find someone not entirely unlike Julie McKee.

Songs range from highly personal, such as the hauntingly beautiful Nine Years Old, to the downright comical (Eric Marlow). Julie McKee will surprise you with subject matter (Mount Vesuvius), or with her lyrical prowess, such as in All About You (I tried to listen/to hold your hand/but all you wanted was a sycophant). The title song, What A Woman Shouldn't Do, finds McKee closest to her jazz roots, discussing 1950s attitudes about the roles of women in marriage over an accusing samba beat.

This is a gem. I don't throw around the Desert Island Disc label very often, but it applies here. If you had to be stuck on an island for the rest of your life and could have only 5 CDs with you, What A Woman Shouldn't Do would be a must. Expect big things from Julie McKee. I had a similar reaction to this album as I had many years ago listening to Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes. Both are classically trained pianists with a penchant for gorgeous melodies whose music is informed by many different styles. Where the comparison ends, the truth is clear: Julie McKee is a talent in her own right."
Wildy's World, New York, April 2008

"[Julie's] sound is truly unique, relaxed yet upbeat and full of emotional power. Just the sound of her music makes a statement that says she knows her craft well."
Airomee Wind, The Que radio, 98.2FM

MORE ABOUT JULIE
Born in the States to Australian parents, Julie grew up in England, and also lived in Spain for a period. Her musical approach reflects this eclectic background, and her influences of pop, blues, soul and jazz all weave their way onto her debut studio album, What A Woman Shouldn't Do.

A classically trained pianist, she also went on to complete a masters degree in jazz studies at the UK's prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama to add to her experience. Yet her musical influences range far and wide, as she says: "I listen to all kinds of music and would hate my songs to be described simply as one genre. To me, good music is good music, wherever it comes from." As the recognition of her songwriting talent grows, expect to hear a lot more from Julie McKee.

reviews

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  • What A Woman SHOULD Do : Take Note of Julie McKee
    author: marie lennon

    If you stroll past Cambridge’s Market Square on Friday night, you’ll be stopped in your tracks by the sound of sweet and charming jazz music, performed by an exceptionally talented Julie McKee. The first thing about Julie McKee that will demand your attention, is her voice; it’s the most soft and comforting jumper knitted with the emotional intensity of Kate Bush and the innocent charm of Tori Amos. The uttering of the words ‘female singer songwriters’ may conjur up colourful and spritely images of Kate Nash or Lily Allen, but upon listening to Julie McKee, I can’t help but hear something with a little bit more class, wisdom and sense of musical heritage. Her work with The New Standard, a collaborating project with credited instrumentalist Steve Lawson makes this heritage clear. The couple have recreated songs from across the musical spectrum and McKee’s voice has graced songs by artists as diverse as The Cure, Slipknot and The Buggles. The consistency with all of these covers is McKee’s wit and charm in her delivery. The difference with with her debut solo album ‘What A Woman Shouldn’t Do’, is that the songwriting is left to McKee, and in this, she shines. Her lyrics are at times playful and witty, ‘Eric Marlow’ is a joyfully catchy offering that skips and shuffles, and wouldn’t be out of place in the sleepover scene in Grease. But this sound is placed alongside the fragile and delictate piano tinklings of ‘Summer Weather in My Heart’ in which she deals with feelings of guilt, loneliness and longing. On this track, Julie McKee’s classically trained history is clear, as the song manages to stroll along with equal measure of power and grace. In title track ‘What A Woman Shouldn’t Do’, Julie critiques the traditional demands of women, and she does this with a soft but authoritative voice, over sometimes dark piano playing that I can’t help but compare to Nina Simone. It would be easy to shoehorn Julie McKee into pre-determined musical boxes. If you haven’t heard Julie McKee. What makes Julie distinguishable from other singer songwriters at this time, is her obvious understanding of the music genre she is within, and her ability to construct songs that grow, and become powerful and unavoidable, whilst remaining simplistic and at times fragile. In the emotionally charged ‘Carousel’, McKee purrs; ‘your pull is so strong ... I’ve gotta get off this carousel’. Her pull, once realised, is indeed strong, and if her music career is that carousel, I would strongly recommend getting on, and waiting for the ride to begin.

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