The usual suspects: jack sprat, marvin sewell, guitars; bob hoffnar, pedal steel; booker king, bass. The revolving cast of characters: fred alias (drums), melvin gibbs (bass), ralph white (guitar) and ron sunshine (harmonica).
Influences
Hubert Sumlin/Howlin' Wolf, Lucinda Williams, Donny Hathaway, Andre Crouch and Bob Wills.
Sounds Like
"Not really a blues album, yet aptly tagged as 'Black Americana,’ Manhattan-via-Austin super-side-woman Queen Esther melds roots, pop and R & B in a way Lucinda Williams, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow never could on their best days." -- Amplifier
"...a timelessly beautiful voice accompanied by a stunningly gorgeous woman stuck in a world of soulfully seductive sound." -- GetUnderground.com
"If Queen Esther were an athlete, she’d be called a “throwback” and rightly so. She sings with the kind of soul you don’t hear much anymore. And she doesn’t need some record executive to help her manufacture it.” -- rocknworld.com
“(Queen Esther’s) first full-length album shows that her own preferences run toward traditions that have somewhat lacked for an African-American presence of late. She calls her music “Black Americana”and makes it stick with a clutch of tastefully tuneful tracks that dabble in bluesy soul, pop, funk and country. Her cover of “Stand By Your Man” strips the song down to a weary woman’s blues without losing it’s twang. Highlights include “Shine” a bit of catchy swaggering rock, the aching lap-steel driven “Taster's Choice” and the a capella “Help Me.” The album is an implicit statement of it's own – that however you slice up American roots music, those roots come in several shades.” — No Depression
Queen Esther stepped out of her Low Country childhood and took her classically trained four octave range from a performing arts high school in Atlanta, GA to Austin, TX quickly becoming a local/regional favorite as a singer and performer/entertainer on the theater scene and as a member of RoTel and the Hot Tomatoes. After relocating to NYC, her work as a vocalist, lyricist/writer, songwriter and actor/solo performer led to creative collaborations in neo-vaudeville, alternative theater, various alt-rock configurations, (neo) swing bands, trip hop DJs, spoken word performances, jazz combos, jam bands, various blues configurations, original Off Broadway plays and musicals, experimental music/art noise and performance art.
Queen Esther's distinct sound -- Black Americana -- began to emerge through creative collaborations with guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Elliot Sharp (their critically acclaimed effort "Mighty"/Homestead Records is available as a German import) and in live performance with James "Blood" Ulmer (her featured vocals on the Vernon Reid-produced "No Escape From The Blues" garnered national/international critical praise while earning a spot in Rolling Stone's pick of The Best 50 CDs of 2003). Most recently, her songs and vocals are featured on Blues & Grass: The 52nd St. Blues Project (Chesky). Produced by Mr. Ulmer, this acoustic live CD assembles downtown NYC luminaries Charles Burnham, Aubrey Dayle and Mark Petersen to create a black folk sound.
Queen Esther also sang regularly with composer/pianist JC Hopkins Biggish Band, a thirteen piece line-up of celebrated New York City musicians (Patience Higgins, James Zollar, Vincent Chancey) and guest vocalists/co-songwriters (Madelene Peroux, Norah Jones, Syd Straw) that features original swing tunes and hard bop. Their CD, Underneath A Brooklyn Moon, is available everywhere on Tigerlily Records. (For more info: www.jchopkins.com)
After getting a publishing deal from Bug Music, Queen Esther self-released her Black Americana debutTalkin' Fishbowl Blues -- now available at iTunes, CD Baby and Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas.
Raised in the Deep South, nurtured on the stages/performance spaces of NYC, Queen Esther is poised to bring a new sound to the world.
For more info: www.queen-esther.com
Hi Q.E, Happy Birthday Month to you too! I'm sorry you can't make it this time. We Bingo every Monday night, so perhaps another night this summer.
Knitting circles will start up again on Sundays when the weather gets cool again. Nobody likes to meet when it's nice out. Usually end of September, start of October. I will definitely keep you posted! :D XO Slayer
I'm so happy you accepted my request. I love what you're doing. I grew up in the North Georgia mountains, and I can really relate to your sound. People look at me like I'm from space when I play stuff with some twang. Glad to know I'm not alone.
Just had to stop by and say hello. I've been checking in on your blogs every once in a while and just love your written voice (almost as much as your singin' one!). Anyway, I'm psyched to have finally discovered NetNewsReader and now I'm subscribed to a bunch of great blogs, including both of yours. I've been stuck down in Jacksonville, FL for over 4 years now and I really miss NYC. So thanks for sharing your slice of the city!
Queen, Hey sista long time. Glad to see your doing well. Just wanted to drop you a few lines to let you know that you are the best and God Bless. Lots of Love Big Al
Thanks for stopping by my page to check me out. I'm honored to be among your network of friends. I remember you from the "It Factor" and have owned a copy of "Underneath A Brooklyn Moon" for almost a year now. I never get tired of listening to it. You know a brotha gotta get your latest! Hopefully on my next visit to New York I'll get a chance to see you perform. Much success to you in all your future endeavors.
"Leave Me Alone" came on my ipod today. It reels and rocks. Stews and rips. I'm grateful for your music, Jack's string-bending, and your take-action soul. Forever your fan, TB
