Album Notes

"Kristie Agee is a powerhouse! With the help of her husband Roy, they have put their collective talents to work in what has turned out to be a wonderful recording. I am honored to be a part of it. Check out the great music!"
~ Jeff Coffin, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones


Kristie Agee & Big Potential's debut CD, "Use What You Got" combines the mighty talents of husband/wife team Roy and Kristie Agee to produce a heaping handful of empowering, horn-driven, "big band blues" tunes that will keep your feet movin' and your soul groovin'. Guided by their burgeoning independent record label, Old King Records, this former opera singer and her trombone-playing husband have cooked up a brew of jazz, blues, big band and funk that not only challenges the boundaries of genre, but also calls for its listeners to be their authentic selves.

Blending influences from Dinah Washington and Bessie Smith to Stevie Wonder and Lyle Lovett, the Agee's have hit a hot note with "Use What You Got". Listening to the opening track, "Big Long Slidin' Thing" you will be transported to a time when big band horns were the norm. The heavy trombone introduction, arranged fearlessly by Roy, leads into Kristie's smokey vocal that spans over two octaves in range.

The next cut, "Big Fat Mamas Are Back In Style" is a salute to the jump/swing movement of the 1920s and 1930s. You can't keep yourself from smiling and your toes from tapping as you listen to Kristie's emphatic lament, "Listen sisters/You should wear a smile/Jump for joy just like a child/'Cause Big Fat Mamas Are Back In Style". One excited audience member even declared "Big Fat Mamas" to be "the empowerment song of the new millennium!" Other magnificent moments abound in this effort including the second line treatment of Willie Dixon's blues classic, "Built For Comfort" and the ultra cool title track, "Use What You Got".

Not to be overlooked, however, are the two beloved ballads of the bunch. Kristie and Roy treat "My Funny Valentine" and "When You Wish Upon A Star" with care as they subtlety nudge listeners in the direction of their dreams. Kristie says, “Wherever you are on this journey, get up and enjoy every minute of it. Don’t waste one moment of this precious life. Live your life with abandon, right now, just as you are. Use what you got!”