Press & Testimonials
Katie Campbell at Boston Court, 7/30/11
CD Release Party – End of the Beginning
Katie Campbell is a freshly uncorked bottle of champagne. The excitement of the initial pop, the giggly bubble as it pours into a glass, the raised eyebrows when you lift the potion to your lips, and the fizzy delight of the taste.
As she took the stage for her CD release show at Boston Court (as part of the Jazz Bakery’s “movable feast” of concerts), Katie’s barely-containable effervescence melted into the mature grooves that infected her set (and that color her CD). This chick can funk it up big time, spot on and in the pocket. And she’s not one to rein in her enthusiasm – her unabashed joy in making music inhabits her whole body, down to her kaleidoscope red pumps.
The 19-tune set mainly featured tunes from her debut album, End of the Beginning – a fitting title. Peppered with funk, bebop, jazz, pop, vocaleses, a re-grooved show tune or two and a Dvorak theme with lyrics (a stunning, sublime and slow duet with bass player Dave Keif), Katie’s choices are consistently interesting. When a killer band – Keif, Tommy Reeves on keys, piano and judiciously chosen backing vocals, Travis Newlon shredding on guitar and Drew Megna laying down serious grooves on drums – throws themselves into the set sporting huge grins, it’s both a treat and a testament to the person who chose the music, and to the talent of the vocalist – and in this case that’s the same woman.
It’s hard to cite standouts since almost everything showcased Katie’s spot-on and inspired vocals, but I’ll go with that Dvorak piece (“Goin’ Home”) for its steady, sustained and gorgeous tension and release, a smokin’ hot cover of Nikka Costa’s “Till I Get to You,” the jazz waltzy “Into the Light” (great solo by Reeves), and the shuffle-funked “Boy From New York City” with a screaming solo by Newlon. Several arrangements for Katie’s album were penned by L.A. session wunderkind Fletcher Sheridan, whose re-imaginings and re-groovings, particularly of Bonnie Raitt’s “Love Letter,” were stunning, often evoking the best of Donald Fagen.
In many ways, experiencing Katie’s 90-minute set was like being at her birthday party – but it was the guests who got the gifts.
– Amy Engelhardt
“Ms. Campbell was a student in my Los Angeles dramatic workshop – Darryl Hickman’s Acting Workshop – for the past four years. Since she was an accomplished musician when she entered the workshop, a brilliant singer, as well as gifted composer, our work together focused on her development as an actor. . .Katie stands out as one of the two or three most dedicated students I have had the privilege of teaching. . .She is highly motivated, disciplined, hardworking, bright, cooperative and eager to learn. She was always prepared and always did her homework, most often beyond what was required. As a consequence, her rapid advancement in learning the acting craft came as no surprise. Quite simply, Katie is a young woman of profound integrity.”
– Darryl Hickman
Actor / Writer / Director / Producer / Teacher / Author of “The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command” ®
“I’m sure everyone else on this website will talk about all the great things you get when you hire Katie Campbell. . .I’m going to tell you about the dark side. . .the stuff you miss out on. . . so, here goes. . .
- You don’t get to play with that new Autotune plug-in you’ve been waiting to try out. . .Katie’s pitch is always spot on.
- You don’t get to play the Big-Time Producer and audition a bunch of singers for the part. . .Katie can cover just about any style.
- You don’t get the joy of spending a bunch of time in the air-conditioned comfort of a recording studio. . .Katie is prompt, fast and really good.
- You don’t get to play the Artistic Ego Challenge game. . .where you butt heads with the talent to decide how your song should be sung. . .Katie listens and then gives you the performance you want. . .every time!
So, if you can live without the above. . .go ahead and hire Katie. . .but don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
– Michael Andreas
Musician / Composer
“Kathryn Campbell has one of the best voices around. It’s musical, pure and extremely lovely. But it doesn’t stop there – she knows what a lyric is and tells the story to her audience. I had the wonderful experience of working with her last year on my show PLAY IT COOL and hearing her sing and watching her act and dance was one of the highlights of the show for me.”
– Mark Winkler
Singer / Lyricist
“Katie is equally at home in a Broadway belt or a lightning fast jazz solo. With accuracy and agility, Katie leaps registers with extreme grace. She has an innate musical ability, which is immensely enhanced by her discipline and great work ethic. Katie is a quick study, extremely bright, and a joy to teach.”
– Sunny Wilkinson
Jazz Singer / Teacher
“Katie’s great in the studio: fast, efficient, accurate, and a pleasure to work with. One of the things I like best about her is that she gets it fast and right: so “right” that very little – if any – editing is required. In these “Pro-Tools-Times” the post-session editing is a given, because we can! But with Katie, I seldom have to spend any time after the session. I wish there were more singers like her. . .pretty cute, too. . .”
– Roger Treece
Composer / Arranger / Producer / Singer
“[Katie’s] delivery, unforgettable punch, and her personality [were] strong enough to shine through a host of other strong performers.”
