EURweb |
VOCALIST-SONGWRITER RITA SHELBY ON THE COME UP: Debut CD offers refreshing perspective to good music.
Longtime RadioScope editor and actress breaks out a whole new side of her many talents
"We are some amazing people ... as human beings ... the African American race; everything that exists for us in this country exists against all odds. And here we are!" -- LaRita "Rita" Shelby
*Let's face it, when the Spirit truly moves you, there is no doubt that its time to GET MOVIN'! With a true sense of determination and resolve, all excuses seem to vanish; obstacles suddenly disappear and what once seemed like trouble have now morphed into triumph-creating lemonade from what at first appeared to be lemons.
This is what has apparently happened for Nashville, Tennessee-born LaRita Shelby; a triple-threat artist with skills as a singer, dancer and writer (and the fact that she's simply gorgeous doesn't hurt either), who moved to Washington, D. C. during her formative years and later to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
Still considered a "struggling artist," this girl has seen her share of high-profile "close calls." When the late choreographer Michael Bennet auditioned her for Dreamgirls alongside hundreds of other teens, she made it to the final four, but was devastated when she didn't win the role.
And when she attended an open call for the 80s TV show, FAME, and beat out thousands of other talented wanna-bees in the process; again making her way to the finals; even casting director Meg Lieberman was baffled when she didn't get the role; which she later learned had gone to Janet Jackson.
"In those days," says Shelby, "it wasn't like the reality show stuff we see now; where if you get really close all the wonderful things happen for you. Nothing happened."
But Shelby admits she is not bitter about these experiences; and likens her them to the many artists who are just like her, "standing in the shadows" as she mentions in reference to the old Motown film of the same name.
Over the ensuing years the burning desire to sing became stronger than anything; so she tried singing R&B - with aims to please the "powers-that-be" who were looking for black singers to perform the runs that came so easily from the Chaka Khans, Tina Maries and Whitney Houstons. But this was not to be the fate of the artist who now goes by the stage name "Rita" Shelby; being untrue to herself by forcing a singing style that did not come naturally to her. She wasn't Chaka, nor Tina and certainly not Whitney. She was Rita Shelby; whose true calling was more Jazz-oriented.
"If I ever do music again it won't be under pressure [to] do a certain run, hit a certain note, [or] sing a certain style," she vowed.
When she finally let go of all the things she was "trying" to be, and grew to love and approve of all the things she already was, her true voice gave way, and doors began to open up for her.
Well kind of ... there was still one conversation she had to have: a conversation with God.
As the single parent of a young son; and recent divorcee at the time, Shelby had little to no resources: no expendable income; no support system outside of her loving family and friends, and no real sense of direction as an artist; so she prayed, asking: where do I go from here? "God has a sense of humor," she chuckles while talking to RadioScope founder/host and EUR publisher, Lee Bailey, for whom she still works as the Chief Journalist and Co-producer of RadioScope.
"[God told me] 'You're going here, you're going there, trying to do this, that and the other; and you're sitting on the very thing that Me and your mother gave you! I've put it in the L.A. Times, twice!'," Shelby said as she recalled her revelation.
Soon afterwards, Rita was surprised to learn that an L. A. Times music critic had praised her highly -- twice in fact -- after hearing her sing a cappella at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences once in North Hollywood, California.
There it was: Her Calling.
And after a few hits and misses with producers who tried to change her style; and the other normal ups and downs every true artist endures, things started moving in a solid direction.
Today, armed with her new 13-song CD entitled "A Date with a Song," Rita Shelby has obviously become comfortable in her own skin; effortlessly singing her original jazz tunes with the accompaniment of a small band called The 2 Jazzy Crew; which consists of core members Jimmy Watlington and Arthur Washington, who alternate on drums, and bassist Lindsey Redmond. Producer Michael Wells often sits in on guitar and studio sessions; and music director (and high school chum) Willie Daniels (who was the first to come on board) also doubles on keyboard and co-wrote many of the songs with Shelby on the CD.
But Miss Shelby's turn towards good fortune had only just begun. Little did she know that a meeting with (and future signing by) Vida and Richard Nash of RHM Management would bring in Grammy-award-winning producer, arranger, musician and A&R man Andre Fischer; who would produce three tracks on the album and, in then bring in buddy Michael Melvoin, the composer of scores for films and TV shows; and has worked with hundreds of artists the likes of Peggy Lee to John Lennon; Bette Midler to Quincy Jones, even served as National President of the Recording Academy in 1984 and 1985. Then, like a domino effect, producers such as Michael Wells came in and produced new tracks; and went back to enhance some of the tracks Shelby and her crew had already recorded.
"Because of Michael Wells we got Gene van Buren to sing background for ME!" the singer exudes. van Buren, who has worked with Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross and The Drifters, has been referred to as "one of the best kept secrets in black music." He lends his talents to the song "Cherish the Moment." Wells also brought keyboardist Earl "The Juice" Johnson in to redo keys on the song "This is where I draw the Line." Shelby really credits Michael Wells with the ability to "embellish the music while staying true to it." The vocalist adds that Wells "knows how to bring out a certain level of performance in me…without abandoning my jazz foundation."
Check out Rita Shelby's funky-jazzy 'Holdin' Down This Forty':
(If player doesn't work in Firefox use Interner Explorer)
While a number of the tunes on "A Date With A Song" will recall to many a style reminiscent of the old piano-bar sets: comfortable and pleasant; with lyrics that showcase life's idiosyncrasies from a palatable perspective. The album's got a little sumpthin'-sumpthin' for everybody. There's the down-home, funk-soul driven "Holding Down This Forty" - a jam referencing those working hard 40-hours-a-week only to have "one thin dime" when the eagle flies; which Shelby adds, "It's a fun way to associate with what people are going through; while at the same time inspiring them to continue to dream." Then there is [This Is Where I] "Draw the Line" a jazzy, smoke-tinged song that speaks of unrequited love and resilience; "Drink You Some Act Right" is a song that, although delivered in an eloquent and sexy style with a jazz spin, puts a hilarious twist on the ingredients needed for one to --- shall we say --- "get over oneself."
Here's some of the lyrics:
Drama on the high seas
That's the ship that you sail
Tempers flair like the night wind
You need mood-modifying ale
Sip you some sit down
Pour you some breath-right
Mix it with passion and some reason for delight
A small mirror will do
'Cause it ain't all about you
Get a glass, relax, Drink You Some Act Right.
This writer was 'too done' after hearing this song. It's one more of several delights on the album. Other tunes on the disc include "Old Man's Girl," (it won't take a Rocket Scientist to figure out what that's about!), "Sour Citrus," "Try Love On for Size," and the albums' title cut, "A Date With A Song" - which was named after Shelby's many Friday nights with her music-which she claimed as her "Mister" at one time.
Shelby's songs are delivered with a humanism that is relatable; and her life experiences have revealed a storyteller who has chosen to look on the bright side of darkness. Her genuine love for God, family and friends was sprinkled throughout the interview. And at one point, after being complimented by interviewer Lee Bailey, she humbly responded, "I am standing on the shoulders of so many amazing people - many of which have nothing to do with Hollywood. It wasn't their calling." She recalled the journey of her late mother; who wanted to be in the entertainment business too, but never quite made it, saying, "She was the dream deferred. I am the dream realized." And finally, likened much of who she is today to President-elect Barack Obama, who she called "the wonderful combination of all to which he has been exposed."
Go to Rita Shelby's MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/ritashelby to hear music from her debut album, A DATE WITH A SONG. You'll be glad you did!
DeBorah B. Pryor is a Los Angeles-based journalist with more than 200 published articles to her credit. She is the founder of THE ART OF COMMUNICATION: Public speaking for the Private Person and a partner in the Public Relations firm, THE BIO SHOP. Visit her website at http://www.dpryorpresents.com
---------------------
$500 - $1000/Per Day (CA$H)
(Just Returning Phone Calls)
**No Selling **Not MLM **No Boss
Full Training & Support 24/7
Learn From Successful Mentors Daily
For Audio Details Visit:
www.missionarycmoney.com
(888) 304-9888 (Be Financially Free)
Click for the latest Obama - Political headlines
Share and Bookmark |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
.JPG)
