Martha Redbone

SOUL SISTAH: In this business, it's often all about who you're compared to. Before hearing a note of diva-in-waiting Martha Redbone's stunning self-made disc, Home of the Brave, we were inundated with stylistic points of reference. "She's kinda like an earthbound Macy Gray, " one pundit said, while another favorably compared her to India.Arie.

The bottom line? Redbone doesn't sound even a little like either artist. She sounds like herself; an R&B singer/tunesmith with an undeniable affection and affinity for classic soul sounds. She also has a remarkable flair for crafting pleasantly sticky, completely original jams. It's a rare treat to encounter an artist so confident in her vision and not susceptible to the narrowcasting ways of Svengali producers or the A & R execs who hire them. In short, Martha Redbone is an artist in the truest sense of the word.

Home of the Brave is a sharply drawn, wonderfully human collection of material. Redbone doesn't assume an overly arty pose. Instead, she seems to revel in playing the everywoman, rendering each song emotionally accessible and believable. It's easy to embrace them, because the listener can interpret every word as truth.

Throughout the recording-which she produced with longtime collaborator Aaron Whitby-Redbone is supported by such cream-of-the-crop musicians as Alan "AB" Burroughs (who has played with Miles Davis) and Jonathan Maron (Maxwell), among others. Since it started circulating roughly two months ago, an ardent fan base has begun to form. "There's a real vibe happening around this record," Redbone says, "People keep coming back to the gigs. That's the best evidence that we might be onto something good."

Indeed. Fans are tapping into such tasty bits as the strummy, rock-etched "Liar," the retro-funk-flavored "Vineyard," and the cheeky, pop-splashed "Boyfriend," on which the artist tells the tale of a woman who discovers her man's bisexual tendencies. The centerpiece tune, however, in "Underdog," a gentle R&B/pop hybrid on which she builds from ain't-the-world-tough verses into a chorus that bursts with anthemic energy. It's the kind of song on which multi-platinum careers are built.

With that, there's nothing more to say, leave the comparisons to the wanna-bes. This woman is a true original; the kind of artist who sets trends, as opposed to following them.
- Continental Drift: Larry Flick

If there were any justice in the music business, this emotional powerhouse of a retro-soul singer/songwriter would be up there on the charts with the Macy Grays, Sheryl Crows and Nikka Costas, to whom she's been compared by the critical media. Overall, there's a folksy warmth amidst the soulful textures, but the tune that's become her calling card is the more anthemic "Vineyard," which finds her vocals building over a bed of Fender Rhodes before exploding along with tight brass and a pitter patter of industrial percussion-honestly, the perfect balance of rich, vocal soul and modern and old school textures. Culturally, she's a mix of African American and Native American, and so her lyrical themes tend to gravitate to themes like "Underdog" when she's not finding unique ways to convey more conventional ideas like "Say You Love Me." She even skirts the teen market with a more adult approach to that fluffy style on the chorus to "Someday We'll Be Friends." Other songs also reflect her unique American heritage; "Free" has a funky Creole slant blended with hip hop beats and "Heaven" has the gospel flavors of her Southern childhood. Her songwriting in spots also shows a powerful social-minded wit, but it's the voice and production gumbo which draws you in. - Jonathan Widran

MARTHA REDBONE'S CHRISTMAS PARTY

The latter-day soul movement is blazing away this holiday season via Gotham's latest rocker chick sensation. You want some Creole funk in your eggnog and gospel shouting in your carols? Then come on out and genuflect before Redbone the soul stirrer. As heiress to such luminaries as Sly, Phillippe Wynne, and Roberta Flack, Miss Thang Martha looks poised to be Americana's next superstar. This here redbone non-atheist cousin can dig it.

12/02 - Crazy Horse

Martha Redbone’s entire life is a story of beautiful juxtapositions. She was raised half in Brooklyn, half in rural Appalchia by a black father and a Native American mother, so it’s no wonder that she has created a record like Home of the Brave (Blackfeet Records). Like her life, Redbone’s album is a diagram of the American dream, infused with equal parts folksy guitar strum, Hendrix swagger and Stevie Wonder funky-Rhodes neo-soul. With the success of the East Coast neo-soul movement and the talent evident on Home of the Brave, it will be an unjust surprise if this isn’t Redbone’s final area appearance as an "unknown" rather than a "superstar".

5/02
- Justin Hopper

May 16 2002
Music dreams from a more soulful era

In our nightly dialogue with "Whom It May Concern," the IW music staff has been desperately asking for a resurgence in tuneful, soulful music. You know, the stuff that swells, sweeps and reminds you of the best U2, Marvin Gaye and Al Green – the kind that makes your eyes sparkle, your hips move and a slow, lazy smile creep across your face. It looks as though our pleas have been heard by Canal Street Tavern owner Mick Montgomery, who’s booked Blackfeet Records neo-soul artist Martha Redbone this weekend.
Redbone’s record, Home of the Brave, is a funky, soulful trip back to the best of the 1970’s, with a little of today’s spice thrown in as well. Tracks such a s"Vineyard" and "Say You Love Me" feature gentle horns, swinging drumbeats and a voice that just won’t quit. Think Stevie Wonder and Macy Gray, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Sly and The Family Stone.
When you consider Redbone was born to a black father and a Native American mother – and was raised in rural Kentucky, of all places- it’s no surprise she has some diverse influences. Her ballads are strong, but it’s her funky numbers that stand out as gems on the album. Harmonies slip around her buttery voice, allowing her messages of real life to seep through, infecting listeners with a sense of what it means to be Martha.
- Mary Stein

As if she knew that landing in my mail bin would result in the surprise sneak attack of the summer, Martha Redbone tells it like it is, like it should be, and how it won’t be again. This record basically came out of thin air and blew the many fine efforts also waiting for a review out of the proverbial water.

What’s so great about this album, you might ask? Well, for starters, there’s depth, soul, cynicism, joy and wisdom. There’s fantastic production quality, seemingly made possible by very few principle players. And then there’s Redbone herself, a regular force of nature wrapped up in a picture-perfect package. This woman has "it", that quality you can’t pinpoint but it separates the naturally gifted from the forced performer. "It" gives us performers that bring something special to the table, and fit into any era.

Martha Redbone could easily be lumped into the mainstream accepted group of artists that has been dubbed "neo-soul" – Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, D’Angelo, etc. But it may be more accurate to say that Redbone’s not "likened" to neo-soul, she IS neo-soul. And she is a scorned, but WISE woman. Taking cues from, along similar vocal style tips, Roberta Flack, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, and Prince, Martha Redbone doesn’t over-sing, over-produce, or play down her vocal abilities. The result is a risky, edgy performance full of honesty, wit, and a wily sense of humor. It’s exactly this type of effort that women everywhere, especially, can relate to. The words and vocal intonation are so pure and open that this record really belongs in a higher class than most that come across my desk. There’s something here for everyone.

- Heidi Drockelman

Newton Town Hall CT
WPKN Benfeit Concert
with John Trudell and Jana

Martha Redbone was a stunning opener! With the accomplished Alan Burroughs on guitar and Aaron Whitby on keyboards, Martha dazzled, bewitched and mesmerized the audience. Ms. Redbone is up for several NAMA awards (Native American Music Awards) this year. She is the Aretha Franklin of today! Her presentation is powerful, gripping and heartfelt. The lady sings from her gut and the results are breathtaking! Passionate in verse and sincere in her rapport with the audience, Redbone knows how to make others "feel" her music. Her first CD "Home Of The Brave," both self produced and with all originals compositions, is a delightful trip through rhythm and blues. Martha played several numbers from this CD and the audience couldn't get enough of her. In a word, they went WILD with applause when she finished. No encore had been planned but it was the only way to quiet the standing and cheering bodies. Ms. Redbone is funky, witty, massively talented and a beauty. She has it all and with so much in her favor, will probably change the course of music. My guess is that this lady can single-handedly break into the mainstream of today's varied musical climates. She will do it, however, with dignity, integrity and a vast respect for her heritage. Music's future never sounded as good as it does in Martha Redbone's hands! - Fern McDoanld

Let's start this month off with a collection of funk/soul tunes that seep under your skin and take hold. They also nod to the past, and look to the future. Redbone has a voice that singes when it needs to, or purrs like a kitten, well, if that kitten were Eartha Kitt. The dozen tunes here range from funky grooving, "Vineyard," to folky soul, "Underdog," to super bad, "Boyfriend," with its Isley-like liquid-fuzz guitar solo. Redbone's humor is evident in that last song as well, as she tells the tale of meeting a man at a Starbucks, only to find out he's gay. But a platonic relationship clicks until "I caught him wearing my dress, and looking better than me." Though the undercurrent is classic Sly and the Family Stone, Isley Brothers, Roberta Flack, etc., there are spots that point to the future of funk and soul. And apparently, it's in good hands.
- Stuart Newton

3/02

Emerging artist Martha Redbone's debut CD, Home of the Brave, on her own Blackfeet Productions label, weaves hip-hop beats, indigenous percussion and Dixie gospel influences into an ingenious aural tapestry. - Dan Kimpel

January 2003

I heard Martha Redbone sing live at the Heartland Cafe (Chicago) and I heard an unique, multi-faceted. mature vocal performer who loved what she was doing.

I was mesmerized by her total artistic prowess as a vocal stylist with a strong sense of witty lyricsm. Her songs had an earthiness- a "down-home" feeling, although-be-it with a contemporary sophistication. She has a story -telling quality that kept me hanging on to every word.
Her band didn't consist of her normal rhtyhm section. There was simply a keyboard and guitar. It didn't seem to matter at all because of the mastery of the players and their complete congruence with the music - as if they lived and breathed it daily. Alan 'AB' Burroughs, with whom I worked with the Miles Davis Band, was providing soulful guitar and vocal harmonisations,and Aaron Whitby, co-writer and co-producer with Redbone on her astounding debut CD, improvised in between the groove.
Please treat yourself to an uncommon musical phenomenon. - Baabe Irving