You may get chills from a fever listening to this passionate and powerful rockin', down-home and funky blues debut from award winning, San Diego, CA based singer/songwriter Michele Lundeen. Known as the "Queen of Steam" for her hi-energy and sassy delivery, Michele entwines her old-school R&B and blues based roots (plus a love of Gospel) around nine self-penned originals and three choice covers ala Tina Turner, Lavelle White and 60's soulster O.V. Wright. Honest lyrics delivered with soulful conviction. Co-produced by Johnny "V" Vernazza (Gold Record winning Elvin Bishop alumni currently with Norton Buffalo) nine of the tracks feature the smokin' backline of some No. California heavies including Johnny "V", Steve Evans on bass (currently with Coco Montoya), Gary "Smacky" Silva (award winning drummer), Austin DeLone on organ and piano (Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Dan Hicks, Norton Buffalo, etc.), Ed Early (trombonist with Elvin Bishop), Tom Poole (Etta James' trumpet man for 11 years), Dave Stone (top Bay Area sax session man) and a duet with special guest, slide-master Roy Rogers. Three tracks (#2-#5-#9) were recorded with Michele's top-notch, seasoned San Diego band of Charles Burton (guitar), Tim Cash (bass), Ric Lee (drums) and Aristotle Georgio (harmonica on track #1) and also features guest appearances by boogie-woogie piano queen Sue Palmer (track #5) and organist Ben Moore (tracks #2 & #9).
SONG INSIDE ME is one of the four Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge 2006 "Best Self-Produced CD" finalists from entries submitted from around the globe and also a 2005 San Diego Music Awards "Best Blues Album" Nominee. The CD is getting airplay and rave reviews across the world. It has landed on several Top 10 and 20 Playlists, has been reported to the Living Blues Charts from stations in the USA, Canada, Ireland, and Australia and has made several "Top CD's of 2005" lists.
"The moment still shines through like it happened last night. Michele Lundeen is standing on the front edge of a Beale Street stage, having just unleashed one of her up-against-the-wall vocal assaults and the packed house at B.B. King's sits in stunned silence. Her hand is on her hip as her eyes prowl back and forth across the room. Still, no one moves. Michele commands attention and it's almost as if the audience knows better than to make the first move.
That's the sense that comes through in this long-awaited recording by Michele. She's a soul-deep singer with a penetrating presence. Her music has a force of its own, with vocals that hit you smack dab between the eyes and knock you a few feet back. There is nothing subtle about Michele's music. She's confident of what she's doing and it shows. It doesn't matter if Michele is singing country blues, mixing up some mean-street funk, locking into a Memphis groove, or launching into some high-energy blues and R&B, the music here will rub you raw.
This is all by design. Michele knows that too much music today is so homogenized and filtered that it can't stand up on it's own. But she makes music that is fierce and powerful, music that reflects what's inside her. And, if you're trying to compare her style to someone, don't bother. This is pure Michele Lundeen, a singer/songwriter with an irrepressible song inside. This music can't come from anyone else." (From CD Liner notes by Michael Kinsman - Hoodoo Productions)
What the media is saying:
"Each cut on this CD shows another dimension of Lundeen's talent and the feeling comes across that she is not only secure in her singing but enjoys is immensely." .. Pete Sardon/Southland Blues Jan 05
"San Diego's Queen of Steam supercharges a range of roots genres with her powerful voice and compelling style. Horn-driven R&B, slow blues, sultry swamp funk, shuffles, old-time jazz and Stonesy rockers all figure into the mix." ...Tom Hyslop/Blues Revue 6/05
"Her slow and soulful cover of the 60's soul classic "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" is reason enough to discover this very talented vocalist." ...Eric
Steiner/Cosmik Debris
"Song Inside Me" is pragmatic, gut-bucket and effective...a demonstration, a sermon, a textbook and a rally -- powerful, lively and humbling... a gift of love from a leader to her community." ...Arthur Shuey III/Blues Bytes 3/05
"Smoking band...gutsy blues flavored vocal attitude, performance, dynamics and phrasing...." ...TAXI A&R reps
Checkout www.michelelundeen.com for more info, photos, gig calendar, links, the latest news & more.
Read more...