Kim Burrell is probably my favourite vocalist of all time. Hands down. No question. The first time I heard her voice was about 14 years ago on a gospel album where she was a featured soloist. I was hooked right away and began my quest to find anything else with a recording of that voice. It pains me greatly to know that so few have ever heard of this virtuoso. It's also too bad that the fortunate few who have heard of Ms. Burrell are unaware of the breadth of her talent and skills as a musician. Kim Burrell is one of those rare musicians who are in a class of their own.Kim Burrell was born in Houston, Texas to evangelical minister parents (Church of God in Christ). She sang and played the piano in church all her life and was finally signed to a small, independent record label in her hometown in the mid-nineties. Ms. Burrell’s signature sound is a mixture of gospel music and jazz. Her voice is immediately identifiable and what’s more, she composes most of her own music. Most of her fans are unaware that she plays the piano just as well as she sings- making her talent even more mind-blowing! Her most famous album is Everlasting Life and it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. I believe that it is one of the most complete and satisfying albums I have ever purchased.
Being that Kim Burrell is in the gospel music industry, it is difficult for her to be recognized in the mainstream and as a result, many of you may not be interested in hearing anything further, and that is a shame because the genre of music is beside the point. Kim Burrell is simply a genius muscian and should be appreciated regardless of the genre of music. She is sighted by many well respected secular musicians and vocalists as one of the top voices in the music industry today. Harry Connick Jr., Chaka Khan, Beyoncé Knowles, Faith Evans and Mariah Carey have all listed Kim Burrell as one of their top musical influences. In fact, I attended her concert last year in Toronto and was very surprised to see a well known Torontonian jazz musician in attendance. When I asked him what he was doing at a gospel concert he replied, “To hear Kim Burrell of course!”
Albums released to date:
Try Me Again, 1995
Everlasting Life, 1998
Live in Concert, 2001
No Ways Tired, 2009
My Favourite Songs: I’ll Keep Holding On, Over and Over Again, Kim’s Request, Prodigal Son, I Come to You More Than I Give, Since Jesus Came In, Calvary, Try Me Again, Victory
Just watch this video of Kim Burrell singing with Richard Smallwood and Vision. A vocal master class!:
Posts
2 comments:
I ADORE Kim Burrell. I first heard her on the reprise of Jesus Paid it All off of Ricky Dillard and New G's album "Worked It Out!" I, too, looked EVERYWHERE to find anything with her voice. Love, love, love Kim!!!
Lord YES! It seems to be the general consensus-- once you hear her you've got to find her! Like Lays potato chips-- you can't just hear her once-- probably because of the mixture of pure shock and goose-bump delight one feels while listening to her deliver chords and riffs that regular humans don't do (I'm convinced she MUST BE a mutant, lol). Upon discovery, you may think your ears have played a beautiful trick on you because her vocal abilities are unlike anything ever heard before-- and hence you begin your mission to investigate. My favorite riff-givers--like Faith Evans, Beyonce, and Ledisi-- are at the top of the human-vocalist-food-chain, but Kim Burrell (give me a moment-- I'm raising my hand in testimony, bout to dance a jig) her voice really is not of this world-- pure super-human, PURE! I feel blessed to have the ability to listen to her (i.e. having ears, electricity, audio-recording products, etc) and I think it's a unfortunate disservice to humanity that she's not more marketed and celebrated-- her voice and combination of chords are truly HEALING to me. The complexity, gait, and clarity with which she delivers her notes can be likened to a superiorly-skilled-safecracker who's combinations masterfully unlock any barriers to love, pure joy, and emotion surrounding one's soul. I thank GOD for blessing us with her gift in my lifetime.
Post a Comment