Annika Chambers

Annika Chambers is a Houston native and one of the rising stars in that city’s rich musical

scene. She always wanted to be a singer, having started in the church at a young age, but put her

dreams on the backburner to serve an eight-year stint in the Army. After leaving the Army, and

starting work toward a college degree, she’s begun to focus on a singing career, embracing the

blues after appearing in a talent contest while on duty in Kosovo.

Chambers has taken the Houston scene by storm in a hurry, resulting in an opportunity to record

a demo with many Houston-area musicians backing her. The demo turned into a full-fledged

album, billing Chambers with the Houston All-Stars, titled Making My Mark (Montrose

Records). “All-Stars” is an appropriate title, given the background of most of the musicians,

many of whom have won Grammy Awards for their previous efforts.

Chambers is a versatile singer, moving from the funky blues opener, “Move,” and “That Feel

Good,” to double entendre-laced romps like “Barnyard Blues” and “Lick ‘Er,” to stirring soulful

workouts like “Down South,” “Guitar Boy,” and the old Stax Records classic, “Love’s Sweet

Sensation” (with guest vocalist Brad Absher). She really shines on a sultry cover of former

Crusaders ( and fellow Houston native) Joe Sample’s “Put It Where You Want It,” and on the

B.B. King tune, “Let’s Get Down To Business.”

The All-Stars, naturally….they’re “All-Stars,” after all, provide wonderful backing and include

bassist/producer Larry Fulcher, keyboardists David Delagarza III and Skip Nalia, drummers

Samantha Banks and Tony Braunagel, saxophonist Kyle Turner, and guitarists Absher, Corey

Stoot, and David Carter.

While Making My Mark may be the first you’ve heard from Annika Chambers, rest assured that

it won’t be the last. This young singer already sounds like she’s been at it for years and, more

than likely, the best is still yet to come. – Graham Clarke - Graham Clarke

Annika Chambers, like many singers, particularly blues and soul singers, had her first live performance singing in a church choir. That is where all similarities end for Annika. Singing was important, but her dream of enlisting in the army fit in with her path to obtaining a degree in Broadcasting. She was serving in Kosovo and entered a talent contest. After the event, she was approached by a guitar player who introduced Annika to the Blues----it was love at first listen. After serving seven and a half years in the US Army, Annika Chambers returned to her native Houston, Texas. She has been working on her career and recently released Making My Mark, a force of soul and blues music.
Annika Chambers heard a calling in the music, talks about the experience and how it has freed her in “Move”. Smooth vocals accompany Annika as she breezes into “Guitar Boy”, letting the man with the six-string know exactly how she feels over warm acoustic strums. “Lick ‘er” is funky blues where Annika puts her proof in a bottle with an easy pour. In “Let’s Get Down to Business”, she welcomes home love with crisp horns and come-on lines; “Barnyard Blues” struts as it lays out the red carpet for a farm boy with city chops, and “Down South” lets slow piano trills define a rhythm that flows like an easy-moving summer stream. Annika Chambers has control over a major set of pipes, knowing when to let them out and when to quiet to a whisper with equal effect as the Houston All-Stars offer support for the highs and lows.
Listen and buy the music of Annika Chambers and the Houston All-Stars from AMAZON or iTunes
- See more at: http://www.thealternateroot.com/rack-1/2075-acathas-mmm?Itemidindex_php?option=com_content#sthash.2QpKX0AC.dpuf - Danny

Annika Chambers & the Houston All-Stars "Making My Mark" At the core of this great supporting cast are the bluesy, funky and powerful vocals of Annika Chambers, an extremely gifted singer with the drive and talent that stamps her as a rising star in the blues and soul world. CDBaby

Listen To Samples Here... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/annikachambers

Following Review Excerpt Courtesy Of http://www.acousticmusic.com/

Annika Chambers knows just where the rockin' gets rollin', the blues doffs its shoes to go barefootin' on the dance floor, and how soul flows and glows through the alleyway with its brothers and sisters, getting down to business, wailin' and taking command. In all that, she finds a huge slice of giddy-up 'n go from guitarist Corey Stoot in various cuts (esp. the opener), a cat who strongly reminds the well-versed listener of Ernie Isley's liquid versatilities mixed with Gary 'Moses Mo' Moore (not the bluesrockin' Still Got the Blues for You Gary Moore, but the guy from Mother's Finest, in my mind the best funk rock group ever concocted). David Carter and Brad Absher join him in oft equally vivid fire and sparks, first in burning lead runs and then tons o' brass 'n sass in chord choices, occasionally waxing Steve Cropperesque (Sweet Sensation, gratis Absher, who also handles all slide work on the album).

The horn section, if the liner notes are correct, is really just Anthony Terry multi-tracking, and he ain't exactly slouchin' neither, coloring up the background, mid-ground, and spaces in between. But really, the more I listen to the ensemble, the more I'm convinced that they'd've been right at home touring with the aforementioned Mother's Finest. Chambers knows how to get things fired up and raucous but can also lay back quite nicely into a mellifluous ballad, as in Down South, then ratchet it up into a powerful shout possessed of irresistible energy and spirit. Tons o' blues-funk everywhere: catch That Feel Good for a sample right off the bat in cut 7, and then get down with her take on Average White Band's Put It Where You Want It.

Teaming up with bassist Larry Fulcher was a masterful stroke. That guy's been in on so many tasty slices—including a way cool tribute to Lowell George, not to mention membership in the hipper than hip Phantom Blues Band (here) — from 1994 to this very minute that finding his name in any set of credits is a guarantee of quality and earthshakin'. A workhorse, he not only plays the 4-string here, but a little guitar as well, contributes some backing vocals, arranges everything, and then co-produces with Montrose Records label owner Richard Cagle (who also engineered the affair).

Continue Reading Review Here... http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p09345.htm

Blues Underground Network`s Favorite Track:

Track 2 "Barnyard Blues"

Additional Artist Info... http://annikachambers.com/Home.html -

ANNIKA CHAMBERS & THE HOUSTON ALL-STARS

Making My Mark

Montrose Records

Texas, historically known for growing some of the hottest-handed guitar men in all the

land, now looks to add bragging rights to a pretty impressive diva too. Aptly named,

Making My Mark raises the curtain on the pride of Houston, U.S. Army Sergeant

Annika Chambers. Having established her vivacious presence singing on bandstands

from the local Boom Boom Room to out-of-town Antone’s, time has come to showcase

that sass-and-silk sledgehammer for everyone. True to her word, she can bring the

thunder on “Trust Me.” But then spread honey with the sweetest, softest touch for the

tender trap of “Down South.” Although such dynamic control of power was fledged in the

gospel church, Chambers isn’t reserved, savoring the shock of emphatically enunciating

the male fowl on the prowl around an already musky “Barnyard Blues.” “Lick ‘Er”

likewise raises the room temperature, but that’s one she wrote herself. For now though,

Chambers is more interpreter than inventor, lighting up pieces raided from Crusaders-
era Joe Sample, B.B. King, and the grand Stax catalog. Her band mates also chipped in

songs. That’s part of the city’s ringing endorsement, which continued in the outpouring

of its musicians who readily lent their crackerjack guitars, pianos, Hammond organs,

saxes, and backing vocals to this lush debut. And Houston All-Stars they indeed are

with a respectable percentage of the huge turnout either owning or nearly owning (via

nomination) Grammy awards. All their cumulative mojo benefits mightily an album that

puts Chambers’ best foot forward toward a very promising future. - Dennis Rozanski

R&B singer Annika Chambers entertains the folks at Dan Electro's guitar bar with her beautiful voice. They performed quite a few really good songs for us while we were there, including Hoochie Coochie Man, Lay Lady Lay, and I Shot The Sheriff. Here's Annika Chambers and the House Rules Band performing Voodoo Woman for you right here. (4/18/2012)
For more information on what's going on in Houston and the surrounding towns, check out Music News magazine at www.houstonmusicnews.net - Houston Music News