Music
Press
"Ms. Hull pays tribute to ten standards by adding subtle creativity, a real feel for the lyrics, and swing. Throughout this very pleasing set, Laura Hull both inhabits the songs and serves them well. All of the individual composers would be pleased with her tasteful treatments, as will listeners who enjoy superior material and classy singing."
– Scott Yanow, Jazz Critic and Author
- Scott Yanow, Jazz Critic
"Laura Hull's new CD "Take Me Home," is an exquisite collection of old favorites made new again. She chose exciting selections and performs them in a tasteful style that enhances the work of each songwriter. Music buyers will not only want to take one home, but buy two to share this great album with a friend."
– John Russell Ghrist, Midwest Ballroom, WDCB Radio, Chicago, IL
- WDCB Radio
"Laura Hull’s songs serve as reminders of a time when quality songwriters like Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne were composing material. It is relatively easy to foresee that her compositions could easily have musical longevity.”
– AllAboutJazz.com
- All About Jazz
“Laura Hull has a new CD out, "Take Me Home," and it's a delight. Her thoughtful interpretations of songs from the Great American Songbook are most welcome. You can hear the melody, understand the words, and feel the emotions of love and romance. We're lucky to have a performer such as Laura Hull who has the style and grace to keep this great American music alive. So, add "Take Me Home" to your collection and enjoy. I did.”
– John Bohannon, WRHU Radio, New York
- WRHU Radio
"Laura Hull is a feast for your ears. She sings to you and not at you. She swings, she’s comfy with a ballad, and she’s here to stay.
- John Bohannon, The Jazz Cafe
- WRHU FM Radio, Hempstead, NY
"This is Laura Hull’s first full album of standards, and it should be the first of many. “Once you have heard it, take it home is exactly what you will want to do."
– Joe Lang, NJ Jazz Society
- Jersey Jazz magazine
"Laura Hull is a melodic singer who puts her heart in this album and it shows when you hear her sing. Trust me, take this one home with you and let Laura Hull's elegant style mesmerize you as she did me."
– Edward Blanco, eJazzNews.com
- eJazzNews.com
"Laura Hull's dynamic new album is a solid mix of flawlessly arranged tunes sung with a contagious flair by a savvy jazz stylist who, like Daryl Sherman and her ilk, are passing the torch of the great American songbook."
– John Hoglund, Cabaret Scenes
- Cabaret Scenes
“Laura Hull has a capacious alto voice: She can nail any note with good pitch and air. Her style is part jazz -- in her rhythm and melodic phrasing -- part Broadway and classic pop -- via her power.”
– Zan Stewart, Newark Star Ledger
- Newark Star Ledger
“... an experienced and audience-pleasing entertainer.”
– Stu Hamstra, Editor
- Cabaret Hotline Online
Discography
Take Me Home (2008)
Hullabaloo (2006)
Here I Go Again (2003)
Photos
Bio
With influences ranging from Rosemary Clooney and Carmen McRae to Patsy Cline and k.d. Lang, Laura Hull delivers an extraordinary combination of rich, sultry, and expressive vocals with music drawn from an extensive repertoire of American popular songs, jazz standards, and her original songs.
A native of New York City, it all began for Laura at the age of seven when she took the first steps of her musical journey in an all-girls summer camp production of The King and I. Through her formative years, the road led her to the resorts of upstate New York's fabled Catskill Mountains, where she learned to sing in a variety of genres and styles. She spent time as a versatile session and jingle singer and showcased her singing at clubs in and around New York City. After a 24-year hiatus from music to pursue a business career, she returned to live performance in 2004. In her many performances since, she has emerged as a melodic jazz singer who has a real feel for the Great American Songbook.
In 2006, she recorded and executive produced “Hullabaloo,” her debut CD of original music, which garnered several songwriting awards and received major radio play around the U.S. Her original tunes reflect her diverse musical interests and run the gamut from swing to well-crafted ballads and Bossa nova rhythms. Her music has been licensed and played in both domestic and international markets.
Joined by an all-star band of top-rated New York musicians including Hullabaloo co-producer, arranger and pianist Pat Firth, bassist Jon Burr and drummer Tony Jefferson, the strong success of Hullabaloo continues on the same high level with her new release, “Take Me Home.” Noted jazz critic and author Scott Yanow writes: “Laura Hull pays tribute to ten standards by adding subtle creativity, a real feel for the lyrics, and swing. Throughout this very pleasing set, she inhabits the songs and serves them well. All of the individual composers would be pleased with her tasteful treatments, as will listeners who enjoy superior material and classy singing.”
A member of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs and 2009 award nominee for best jazz vocalist, Recording Academy, and the New Jersey Jazz Society, where she serves as a director, Laura performs with her jazz ensemble at a variety of venues and for corporate and private events. In addition to performing and composing, Laura produces, coaches, teaches, and is a freelance columnist on the topic of vocal jazz. Visit her on the web at LauraHull.com.
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