Album Notes

Powerful. Riveting. Sultry. Mere words can only capture the refrain of her awesome talent. Maria Howell is much more. She is the ballad of beauty and elegance. The melodies flowing from the petite vocalist are truly amazing. While casting a spellbinding smile, she mesmerizes her captive audience with incredible harmonies and rhythms.

Howell's signature film performance as the choir soloist in "The Color Purple" was quoted by one critic as being "one of the most stirring moments!" Her rendition of “God Is Trying to Tell You Something” was memorable for all who saw it, but the offerings of the all-grown-up Maria are truly unforgettable, eliciting stirring moments, one after another.

Some may be inspired to call her a “best kept secret”, but anyone who leaves an imprint on every medium from radio, stage and television to the Hollywood screen is hardly incognito. Howell's talent has been featured as a nightclub singer in “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” as well as other roles on the small screen such as in “Linda” alongside master performers Richard Thomas (“The Waltons”) and Virginia Madsen (“Sideways”) and in “Scattered Dreams” with Tyne Daly (“Judging Amy”) and Alicia Silverstone (“Clueless” and “Beauty Shop”). Her credibility as a true thespian flourished when she nailed a coveted role as the daughter of Maya Angelou's character in Langston Hughes' “ Tambourines to Glory” stage play.

Although acting was a learned craft that has become more refined with each new role, singing and entertaining are skills that emanated from Howell as far back as she can remember. She recollects glaring at her six-year-old image in the mirror and knowing at that moment her destiny was clear. The destiny became a reality as she wowed audiences as the opening act for the legendary Ray Charles, and as she shared the stage with Earth Wind and Fire's point man Phillip Bailey. Performing with the likes of Nancy Wilson, Marvin Hamlisch, and George Benson became her comfort zone - a zone with overlapping genres. Anyone who swings with the Cab Calloway Orchestra, croons with Baby Face and rearranges the scale with Jeffrey Osborne can not, "ought not", be boxed into one musical art form.

Like Howell, her music is a collective soul, smooth, not eclectic. She not only combines sounds such as R&B with jazzy punctuations, she evokes an international flavor into her flambé of recordings. Her first CD, “Peace of Mind,” was produced while her celebrity was peaking in Japan . She followed up with another CD shortly after with a U.S. favorite, “Same Old Story.” Both sets of recordings have romantic overtones, but marinated with opportunities for toe tappin' and finger snappin'. Confident in her own groove, Howell shares the spotlight with several Atlanta artists in her latest compilation, “Acoustically Yours.” Over the course of her career, Howell has availed her illustrious voice to TV and radio commercials for prominent corporations like Haverty's Furniture and Bell South.

In the near future, Howell hopes to use her voice in a more philanthropic spirit. She has an affinity for connecting with children who aspire to “their own unique greatness.” Her drive to shape our youth is commensurate with her acting ambitions. She'd like to star in films that are reminiscent of the times when families would gather to watch poignant documentaries and movies like “Roots.” She is also interested in uniting her talents with animation. Not only does she love this variety of film, she understands that an animated movie is a masterful way to gain a child's undivided attention.

...And offering up another novel “ Howellistic ” melody is a way to keep ours.

Check out her other CD releases, "Same Old Story" and "Peace of Mind" also. You'll be glad you did! You can just go to the link below to listen and order...
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mariahowell

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