Mellow Veneer

Mellow Veneer call themselves "soulful pop smeared with funk butter". Well, if you're smearing yourself with the funk, it has to be worth at least a listen, and in their case it is.

This four-piece band Lily Wonder-Vocals; Candy Apples-Keys;
T-Mobile-Drums; Golden Child-Bass) come from a long-lasting tradition of soul and funk musicians and singers from Philadelphia who are in it for the music. Their love of late mid to late 70's/early 80's funk is evident in tracks like "Catfight" and "Porno", and Wonder carries herself off with the kind of style that will make people wanting to hear her many times over. She doesn't sound like any one specific singer (sometimes she'll belt it out like a rocker, other times she's operatic), but she could easily find herself sitting in with some of the best jazz/funk bands out of New York, or collaborating with artists from Europe. The connection between T-Mobile and Golden Child is tightly wound throughout, and Candy Apples knows how to color the moods very well. This Golden Child guy though, damn, I hope he is open to doing session work because I'd love to hear what he's able to do with other artists.

But within the context of Mellow Veneer, he and the rest of the group are off to a great start and with luck they'll be jumping on the festivals that are to come during the first half of the year. - MusicForAmerica.com

"Reaching deep into the soul of Philly for these 12 joints, this foursome evokes an enormous amount of feeling, especially considering the musicians rely on little more than a tight rhythm section and a variance of keyboard sounds. What they conjure up is a mix of old and new, as if Jill Scott were singing lead for Sly & The Family Stone and a little hip hop wiggled its way into the middle. The focus here is on Lily Wonder and her tremendous vocal range, able to quietly whisper face to face and then step away and wail. Couple that with some incredibly fierce keyboard work, and it's a sound that's pure, simple, but never easy. The lyrics are confrontational, sad but true, but equally full of redemption. This is the essence of this kind of soul music: A story that grips you along with the music, reeling you in and taking you on a ride. This comes through brilliantly on the bonus live tracks that round out this compelling R&B record." - CD baby

One could imagine that it would be daunting for a local Philadelphia band to put out an R&B/soul record knowing that there is a lot of impressive history to contend with in this town, and especially if your lead singer sounds an awful lot like Jill Scott. Not the case for the equally impressive Mellow Veneer, who have very boldly made a place for themselves on the local scene with a roar. Fronted by the lovely Ms. Lily Wonder, this four piece band of musicians is a true collective, with all members sharing writing duties. In addition to Lily we have Caitlin “Candy Apples” Allen on keys, Elliot “Golden Child” Garland on bass, and Todd “T-Mobile” Baylson on drums. Even the way the band plays is democratic, with each instrument (keyboards, bass, and drums) being fully audible and upfront on each song. The one exception to this is Lily Wonder’s vocals, which always steal the show and range the full gamut from smoky and sultry to wailing and powerful. Lily has true star quality, as do the other members with their strong playing, and it will be interesting to see what the future has in store for this talented bunch. But in the meantime we can listen to their CD and just enjoy the blend of R&B, soul, funk, and pop that only a Philly band can conjure up. For a strong dose of keyboards, listen to “Porno”; for a taste of Lily’s vocal range, give “Meditations” a whirl; and for that one song that captures all the best of Mellow Veneer, listen to “That Funky Kid”. And so the Philly soul legacy continues…..
- Girl About Town