author: John Calandra
With Venitia you get much more than a unique voice. Her writing is poetry. The guitar transports you to the club atmosphere that immerses you in the moment. If you want to feel music centered on you, the listener, you need to hear Venitia.
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author: indiemusic.com
A unique talent, clever songs, great voice and a sense of humor! Powerful yet personal.
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An electric storm of sensuous soul...Venitia will stir you...
author: Vince "Farbo" DeLucia
A voice that conjures images of farmhouses, screendoors and steely gray days...Venitia will move you. The winners here a Mile Long Day and Sweet Temptation. Like a cooling thunder storm on a prairie-hot day her voice soothes the soul. Her sound is at once sparse and amazingly full. No more is needed: a ringing acoustic guitar and her sultry voice...that is all I needed to be a fan. As a songwriter myself I have come to appreciate the simplicity inherent in a good song. Whether she wrote them or chose them...makes no difference. The end result is pure art.
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author: South Bend Tribune
May 20. 2007
Musician slides on new pair of shoes
Sekema wears soul well on second album
REVIEW
KAREN RIVERS
Tribune Staff Writer
Singer-songwriter Venitia Sekema just released her second album, and from glancing at the unopened CD, one thing is immediately apparent.
Someone went and got a little sassy.
The cover for "Hell on High Heels" shows Sekema in a black fringed dress getting down on an old-fashioned microphone. Songs include "Sugar Daddy" and "Not That Kinda Girl."
Sekema has always had a little blues and soul to her sound, but this album explores and reveals that side of her music in greater depth.
The results? A solid record that's got spunk and a sense of humor.
This Venitia -- the one in the little black dress -- knows how to have a good time.
In fact, Sekema should be having plenty of fun this Friday at her official CD release party at The Livery. She put together a five-piece backup band just for the occasion.
A resident of Galien, Sekema has been a full-time musician since quitting her day job back in 2005. She now hosts The Livery's Monday open mic night, and often hits the road to tour the Great Lakes area and beyond. Her first album was the eclectic, enjoyable folk offering "Lucky Numbers."
Some of that sound hangs around on this record. "Now Is the Time," for instance, is a kind-of '60s-throwback socially conscious folk tune. "Oregon" is a soft, sweet one about being on the road.
The more soulful stuff, however, clearly drives the album.
The opening track is a playful lament called "Monday Morning All the Time," and that light-hearted blues vibe continues on a number of songs.
The title track is a fun, funky number, as are the aforementioned "Sugar Daddy" and "Not That Kinda Girl." "Someone Like You," the album's official "you're not all that" track, also is in that vein -- and it's a standout.
Woven in with these more playful tunes are some good old sad love songs, including the pretty, urgent album-closer, "Been Lonely Too Long."
Part of what makes the album a success is that Sekema is not just experimenting with a different emphasis, but really embracing it and having fun. Those who've seen her perform know that she can do blues, but with "Hell on High Heels" she takes that side of her sound and runs with it.
Like many singer-songwriters, Sekema says she doesn't subscribe to any one style.
As for this more soulful vibe, it's a hat -- or rather, a pair of high heels -- that she wears well.
Staff Writer Karen Rivers:
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