Katie Melua

[Sabine]

I´d like to introduce you to a really great and wonderful musician: Katie Melua



Some of you already know her and have already become addicted to her music, just like me.

This week I got the chance to see her in concert. Together with my cousin I went to Bielefeld last monday. It was a fantastic night. Everything was perfect, the show, the location, everything.

Katie has a beautiful voice, her songs are awesome (she herself writes most of her music) and the show matched the music perfectly. The band that plays together with her during the concert is also great. They play so many different instruments and it´s not only the typical instruments, that we know from other artists. They also have a contrabass, different flutes, a fiddle, a mandolin, etc.

But, what most impresses me is her voice. Those of you who know her music, might have realized, that she has this calm and soft way of singing. Her music sounds a little bit like jazz music and it´s very soothing and comforting. But in her concerts she also proves that she can be really powerful. She was really active on stage, jumping around and dancing, but as well very calm, when she played her ballads. By the way, she also plays guitar during some of the songs. And her voice is just awesome. It ranges from the very high notes to the deep ones. She can sing everything and besides that, she can sing quietly and also really powerful, but it nevertheless derogates her voice. Her voice is cristal clear and she always strikes the right note. All the time.
You see, the concert has really impressed me.

For more information, about her biography, etc. you can have a look at her website: www.katiemelua.com
There you can also listen to some of her music and watch some videos.

I´m sure you´ll enjoy her music as much as I do.
Have fun.

[SingleTunePoet]

Though I did not have the pleasure to be able to see/hear Katie perform live, I have to admit that I became addicted to her music and most of all her voice in no time. It happened from one second to the other. The first song I ever heard was "Spider´s web" and it somehow reminded me of Jewel in her early days with a bit of jazz influence. Her voice is different from Jewel´s, yet they do have something in common. The huge range, the clearness but also variety of different tunes and notes. So it doesn´t surprise me at all when Sabine says that on stage, she proves how powerful her voice can be.
Katie´s music is of that sort that calms you down in the most incredible way. Her own songs prove a good sense for emotion. She´s a talented songwriter. But also those songs that she covered show her sensibility for music.

[DazedOblivion]

Thank you, Sabine, for telling me about this unbelievably great vocalist last week and for posting about her here. She's phenomenal! It's a shame that, despite hitting #1 in the U.K., Katie Melua is still not known in the U.S. I searched three record stores and finally found only one imported CD of her latest album, Piece by Piece selling for $30.00 (24.80 €) and just one of her single CDs, "Crawling Up A Hill."

Like Swantje, I feel that her music has some similarities to the pre-0304 music of Jewel, both vocally and lyrically. But Katie Melua's sound is jazzier, and almost remiscent of a "torch singer." Whatever she is, I was instantly impressed with her talent.

I looked at her website and i was pleased to see that one of Katie Melua's big influences was the late Eva Cassidy, whose music I love. Also she mentions Randy Newman whose songwriting I have long admired.

I hope to see Katie Melua reach the status that she deserves here in the States. You were very fortunate to get to see her in concert, Sabine!

Thanks again, Sabine, Swantje, and Cynthia for educating me about this fantastic singer during last week's meeting! I'm a fan!

[DazedOblivion]

I ordered and already received Katie Melua's older album from 2003, Call Off The Search. ;D It was only half the price of Piece By Piece, but what's really great is that it included ALSO a separate 70-minute DVD with live concert footage of 10 songs from Call Off The Search; four promo films; and a film called Katie Melua: Starting Out in 2003.

A song called "The Closest Thing To Crazy" was soooo unbelievable! Somehow very moving. It's hard to explain, but her voice is that good! Thanks again, guys, for telling me about her.

And thanks, Swantje, for helping me with Piece By Piece!

[Sabine]

Oh my god. That´s fantastic, Steve!

I love the album Call off the search and yes, you are right, The closest thing to crazy is an amazing song. It was the first song of her that was released here in Germany and I immediately fell in love with her voice.

You have got a DVD together with the CD? That´s wonderful. I´d really love to see it too, but I haven´t heard of it before, so I guess that it´s not available here.

[Sabine]

Katie has released a new album. It´s a special edition of "Piece by Piece". It includes a CD with 12 well-known tracks and 3 additional tracks that haven´t been on another CD before, as far as I know, among them her current single "It´s only pain" (really great song) and it also includes a bonus DVD with an "80 minute film shot during Katie's 2006 European Tour containing concert footage and documentary style links" among other promo films.

On 20th November she´s releasing "Shy boy" as her new single, but unfortunately it´s only available as a download.

For information on both topics see here: www.katiemelua.com/

[Sabine]

Katie is singing on the soundtrack to a new movie called "Miss Potter".

The movie is about Beatrix Potter, a writer of children´s books from London and Katie is singing the song "When you taught me how to dance".
You can listen to the song on my MySpace: www.myspace.com/sabinehissmann
or here: www.dramatico.com/releases/misspotter.html (you can also listen to samples of all the other songs on the soundtracks here).
I can only recommend it, the song samples are beautiful!!!

The movie and cd are said to be released on 5th January in the UK. Unfortunately I have no information about the release in other countries.

[DazedOblivion]

Thanks for the information, Sabine!

That sample sounds wonderful. I hope it will be released in the U.S., but since the film is to be released in the U.S. on January 12, 2007, there is maybe a chance of getting the Katie Melua's song here.

Also, thanks you for the "duet impossible" of Over The Rainbow that Katie does with the late Eva Cassidy. I am happy about the artistic relationship that continues to exist between these two fabulous singers.

[lindaj]

Thanks, all... For all this great info, on a singer I just discovered today, & LOVED!!!! ;D ...Thanks to Steve, who had suggested that I check out her music... ;D She has a fantastic voice!!! And, I love her sound... Her mixture of jazz, blues, & pop.. She sounds a little like Norah Jone's style.. And, her voice is a little similar to Canadian jazz singer, Holly Cole... Although, not quite as deep, dark, & sultry sounding.. hee hee!!! ...I'll save Holly for future post though... You all should check out her tunes sometime... She's FANTASTIC!!! ...Yeah, so I downloaded Katie's "Piece By Piece" album from iTunes... And, I'm loving it... ;D Looking forward to hearing more from her.. Thanks again, all...

[DazedOblivion]

Hey, Linda!

I am really happy that you are enjoying Katie Melua too! After listening to Holly Cole's great samples, I had a feeling that you might like Katie's songs. I am really thankful to Sabine and others who told me about her. Though she toured North America recently, her music hasn't quite been given the attention here that I feel it deserves. I really feel that the U.S. music market is exclusionary and unfriendly to talent from the outside (the Corrs included), which is a bad thing. One of the nice things about these message boards is that Corrs fans often like the same kind of music, so I've made a lot of discoveries from the people here.

Any time you want to start a Holly Cole thread, you are more than welcome, Linda.

P.S. I will try to send of the ONJ CD to you tomorrow or Friday!

[lindaj]

Awww.. Ok... Thanks, Steve!!! ;D I'm looking forward to Olivia's CD as well... I was listening to the samples on her official site, & I think I will really like the album...

I think I really like "Spider's Web", by Katie Melua too... It was her "Piece By Piece" CD which I downloaded... But, she also had an older album, from 2004... From that, I downloaded a song called, "Crawling Up A Hill", which I quite liked... I can sorta relate to it.. LOL!!! ...Otherwise, "Piece By Piece" is a nice, relaxing CD... I know likenesses to Nora Jones, & Holly Cole have been mentioned... But, does anyone hear any similarities with her voice, and that of Natalie Imbruglia?? It's her that keeps coming to mind, as I'm listening to Katie's songs... Hmmm... Anyway... Thanks again, all...

[DazedOblivion]

Katie Melua's third album 'Pictures' will be released on October 1st.

The tracklisting is as follows:

Mary Pickford (Used To Eat Roses)
All In My Head
If The Lights Go Out
What I Miss About You
Spellbound
What It Says On The Tin
Scary Films
Perfect Circle
Ghost Town
If You Were A Sailboat
Dirty Dice
In My Secret Life

Here's the album cover (I saw on a MySpace bulletin):



Does anybody have her new DVD Concert Under The Sea?

On 2 October 2006, Katie Melua entered the Guinness Book of Records for playing the deepest underwater concert 303 metres below sea level on Statoil's Troll A platform in the North Sea. Melua and her band underwent extensive medical tests and survival training in Norway before flying by helicopter to the rig. Melua later described achieving the record as "the most surreal gig I have ever done". Unfortunately she was to hold the record only briefly, since in April 2007 an orchestra from Kalisz, Poland, performed a concert still further underground, in a Polish salt mine. Melua's concert is commemorated in this DVD.

[DazedOblivion]

Samples of her new songs are uploaded at her MySpace profile.

www.myspace.com/katiemelua

Thanks, Sabine, for letting me know. I'll let you know what I think after I listen to them a bit more.

[Simone]

I've just bought the Katie Melua "Piece by Piece - Special Bonus edition"!!!!

I've just invited my sisters to watch the dvd tonight... can't wait until then !!!!

[DazedOblivion]

Aw, that's exciting! ;D I hope you will all enjoy it. Let me know what you think, because I don't have that one.

Katie Melua must be doing better in the U.S. Originally, I couldn't find Piece by Piece in the U.S. However, it was finally released here, and it even became available in a store chain that is common throughout the U.S. called Target. Target offered an exclusive bonus edition of Piece by Piece that includes two extra songs ("Jack's Room" and "Market Day In Guernica") that didn't come on the original release . If I bought the Special Bonus Edition now, then I would have three versions of Piece By Piece *lol*

Aaaanyhow, again... Simone, I hope you and your sisters enjoy watching the DVD!