Nicole Nelson
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Nicole Nelson

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"1+1 = A Whole Lotta Soul"

By Jay Miller

Both Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson proved long ago that they could wail the blues with anyone.

Now, they’re trying to seduce listeners with a more subtle, scaled down, but no less feisty blend of blues, jazz, soul, gospel and pop.

Dwight Ritcher’s guitar skills were evident early on, and the New Jersey native led a rockin’ blues band that delighted New England audiences for years before he downshifted into a role as a more subtle, quiet, jazz-inflected artist. Brooklyn native Nelson burst onto the Boston blues scene as a young diva capable of Shemekia Copeland-like power, but with an Aretha-like soulful side, too.



Now both musicians have evolved into a duo that is standing New York City on its ear. With Ritcher’s minimalist gift for nuance and phrasing, and Nelson’s ability to cover every vocal angle from Norah Jones to Ruth Brown and back again, the Ritcher/Nelson duo has become an unlikely buzz band in the Gotham City.



So how did a blues guitarist with jazzy leanings connect with an energetic blues singer who’d made her name with her superbly dynamic shows?



We had always been fans of each other’s projects,” said Ritcher, on a recent trip to Boston. “This just started out as an experiment, booking a couple of gigs together, in Vermont on weekends. We just performed blues tunes we both loved. Then it grew into writing songs together and took on its own identity. She began playing tambourine, and with me on guitar, playing a bass line too, it became a pretty formidable two-man band.”



“It was a pretty organic process,” said Nelson. “It was an informal thing at first, simply because we were both in New York City, and knew each other from Boston. There isn’t much money to go around for bands in New York, so we decided to try some things with just the two of us. People began freaking out almost immediately and wanted CDs of us together. We only had our individual CDs at that point, but we eventually put our own EP recording together, just so we had something to sell at our shows.”



It didn’t take long for Ritcher and Nelson to earn some serious support, and some notable fans.



“We were lucky enough to get high-profile attention right away,” said Ritcher. “Agents began calling, and we ended up opening two shows for Dr. John and one for Maceo Parker at a blues festival, within our first three months. It was very encouraging, and we felt good about this project. Our harmonies and voicings are very appealing to me, and the songs and ideas, and the way we improvise together definitely felt great. This is what I want to be doing, and to get such validation so early was really rewarding. I think what I had been doing myself, as on my Radioman album, was jazzier stuff. This work with Nicole is maybe closer to the blues, with pockets of other stuff, but more rootsy as a whole. I’m someone who doesn’t like boundaries, and there is a lot of flexibility here.”



“Is it a logical step?” asked Nelson. “I don’t know, but I change a lot, and hear a lot, and tend to go from one musical phase to another. The key for me is that I have to feel it, and with so many different influences—pop, jazz, R&B, country, and hip-hop, it all becomes just a blend inside of me.”



“I loved the blues when I first started singing it,” Nelson explained. “I had never felt comfortable in the pop ballad category most people wanted to put me in, so the blues felt really good—a chance to stretch out. But I eventually outgrew straight blues covers, yet still wanted music with some freedom. My influences include a lot of things, from gospel to blues to pop to country now, but people still call me a blues artist. All those influences run so deep, it is hard to determine what should be the next logical step. That kind of decision never crosses my mind. I make my musical decisions more on the basis of, ‘Hey, I’m bored, let’s try this.’ I enjoyed this from the beginning, and when I started on tambourine, the tempos really picked up.”



“A really good part of this is that we can continually re-work songs,” Ritcher chimed in. “Like right now we’re doing a Jimmy Reed song in a whole new arrangement. This format allows us to keep things very open.”



But if the creative juices are flowing, the economic reality is that many clubs are closing and suffering from low attendance, and surely a two-person band isn’t exactly the dance-mania attraction a quintet might be. If Ritcher and Nelson gain more coffeehouse-type gigs, do they lose an equal number of classic roadhouse dates?



“We both have good relationships with many clubs and club owners all over the East Coast, due to our individual careers,” said Nelson. “That gives them the confidence that we can also do it with just two people. We have the luxury of their trust, and those previous relationships, that they know we can each draw a good crowd on our own, an - Boston Blues Magazine


"Boston Blues Magazine"

Boston's riveting rhythm and blues star, Nicole Nelson, belts out a jumpin' blues, then softly sings a serenade with such a seductive voice that her audience becomes spellbound. Her singing is mesmerizing as she slowly builds up her song. Each phrase is caressed with a god-given strength that grabs a hold, and won't let go!
On the rise to becoming one of New England's finest musical talents, together with a solid band of seasoned musicians, Nicole will soon be competing in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, after winning by the the largest margin ever, the 2001 "17th Annual Battle of the Boston Blues Bands" in July. The Nicole Nelson band was a last minute entry, suggested to Harper's Ferry owner, Charlie Abel, by Mary Mena.
New to Boston, Nicole recently started her professional pursuit of being a singer when she traveled to Tremont Street to audition for the musical, "Rent," back in 1999 at age 21. Though she was acting on a whim, and was unprepared, she got a call back for the lead role!
A close friend of Nicole's encouraged her to check out the Boston Blues scene while in town. She brought her to a Haverhill blues club to check out a blues show where a friend was playing. Too shy to perform initially, Nicole met Brad Faucher, guitarist and bandleader of Sweet Willie D and the Continental Walk, and he persistently called her up during the following week, persuading the modest singer to come back and sit in at the open jam.
Nicole became fascinated by Brad's blues world, turning on to the magic of the blues tapes that he made for her. Soon she had a regular weekly gig which was her rite of passage into the club scene. As she tells it, there were about 6 patrons at the bar - three in a fight, one throwing up, another passed out, and maybe one person actually listening to her show. Realizing that she could only move forward from such an illustrious start, Nicole committed herself to her music. It was inevitable that her lifelong desire be realized and fulfilled in singing the blues.
Growing up in a musical household, Nicole sang at church, family, and local gatherings, as well as doing some theatre work in high school and college. Her mom was into a lot of the early seventies soul, such as Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, and other classic R&B singers of the time. Her dad was into jazz in a big way - the bebop style, as well as the blue jazz of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, crossing over to the jazzy rhythm and blues of Ruth Brown, and bad-ass blues of Etta James, the extraordinary vocals of Aretha Franklin, and, of course, the marvelous music of New Orleans reigning soul queen - Irma Thomas.
Now, at age 23, Nicole has reached a turning point. With the help of her "partner in crime," Brad Faucher, Nicole has been able to hone her skills as a musician, performer, and promoter, propelling The Nicole Nelson Band into the limelight as one of New England's hottest R&B acts headed for international stardom.
Since winning the blues competition in July, opportunities have started knocking steadily on Nicole's door. She has been approached by some big guns in "the industry", including one of the key figures responsible for making a star out of Whitney Houston! Nicole held out on his offer to make major connections for her as a pop star performer. Her feeling was that such a career move was not a part of her big picture.
Nicole and Brad have been doing some song writing together, and are recording an album at Milt Reder's Rear Window Studio. Some of the material includes songs from Ruth Brown, Muddy Waters and two originals - "Part of Me," a groovy soul song with a Motown vibe, and "Hold On," which has a funky feel and a slinky bass line ala James Jamerson. Nicole is also recording a pared down, gospel flavored number with just piano and vocal. HBO's syndicated TV show, "Sex In The City," has asked Nicole to sing an R&B track for a future episode. In addition to these recordings, the band has begun to compile live recordings for a future live CD.
Nicole's web site at www.nicolenelsonband.com is always kept updated, so fans can keep up with her blossoming career. As for the future, the possibilities are endless. Twenty years from now, Nicole muses that she looks forward to performing with a core group of fellow musicians who are "on the same page." A tight, communal group of friends who are committed to making the music they love for appreciative audiences around the world.
"Being comfortable in your own skin, and being proud of what you're doing, comes across more than pure talent." - Nicole Nelson!
- J Place


"The Berkshire Eagle"

Aretha, move over, Nicole is here

Twenty-four-year-old vocal phenom Nicole Nelson was clearly the audience favorite at the anglewood Jazz Festival’s mini-blues festival on Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend. Performing a 45-minute set of originals and R&B and soul standards with her six-piece band, Nelson was a knockout, bringing to the stage the fiery energy of Tina Turner, the soul/gospel chops of Aretha Franklin, and the jazzy instincts of Etta James. The Boston-based singer claims Roberta Flack as her greatest influence, and Nelson has been cleaning up lately at the Boston Music Awards and in the Boston Phoenix’s readers poll. Clearly a singer to catch on her way up, Nelson performs at Club Helsinki (413-528-3394) in Great Barrington on Saturday night at 9.

- Seth Rogovoy


"The Phoenix"

"Soulful" and "enriching" describe the singing of Nicole Nelson. So do "expressive" and flat-out "beautiful." At 25, she already has a voice for the ages, as the many fans who’ve made her one of New England’s most popular blues and traditional R&B artists know. Nelson arrived on the scene a little more than three years ago and broke through by winning Harpers Ferry’s Battle of the Blues Bands. Working with guitarist and co-songwriter Brad Faucher, she’s climbed through the pub circuit to headline major New England clubs like Johnny D’s, where she’ll celebrate the release of her first studio disc (following 2002’s self-released Nicole Nelson Band Live) on November 15."When Nicole played ‘Steppin’ Out’ last year, she’d lost her voice and had maybe a fifth of what she usually has," Faucher recounts. "That left her with a sort of Mavis Staples growl." Even without her soft, round tones and vibrant high end, Nelson and her crew knocked ’em out, so impressing Boston-based promoter Fred Taylor that he asked her to headline Scullers and play his Tanglewood Blues Festival this year. At Tanglewood in August, Nelson killed again. She sold 200 CDs after her set, something that’s almost unheard of for an unsigned artist.On her forthcoming self-released EP, which is called Nicole Nelson, she sounds like a natural. "The Other Side of the Tracks" has the command of classic Memphis soul woman Ann Peebles; "Just Let Me Go" echoes the Philly sound of the ’70s with its elegant vocal phrasing, its horn-and-percussion arrangements, and Faucher’s layers of acoustic and effected guitar. And when she swings, she swings hard, sidestepping cliché’d 12-bar structures and shuffles to create her own sound.But singing like a versatile R&B diva was a leap for Nelson, who met Faucher after she came to Boston to audition for the Broadway musical Rent. "Blues is a great way for me to make music that’s real — not corny, shallow pop stuff, which my avenues were pointing toward before I met Brad," she explains. "Ashanti and people like that are nowhere near where I want to be as an artist. My ultimate female vocalists are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Whitney Houston — the people I wanted to sound like when I was a little girl. I used to think of blues the way that Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday sang it. Then I heard Big Mabel sing, and she’s just wailin’ — ‘Baby, baby, baby!’ I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ ""When we began working together, Nicole would sing this nasty blues tune, and it was the most beautiful sound I’d heard," Faucher says. "I said, ‘Well, it sounds perfect, but I don’t know how down in the alley it is.’ "Getting down in the alley may be what gets Nelson and Faucher to the top. Although they’ve been offered a deal by one of the country’s top blues labels, they’ve steered their own course, and that’s allowed them to define their sound and approach. As they prepare for "Steppin’ Out" and the Johnny D’s EP-release gig, they’re also recording a full-length album. If luck tumbles toward Nelson’s talent, her next breakout may be national. - Ted Drozdowski


Discography

Dwight & Nicole EP (2006)
Nicole Nelson Live at Club Helsinki (2005)
Nicole Nelson EP (2003)

Photos

Bio

Nicole Nelson proves herself to be every bit as ground breaking as her many influences. Evoking a sound that is wise beyond her years, she delivers blues, R&B, rock, and classic soul with the kind of passion that changes the listener. Hurts and heals.

Possessing a natural voice that can swoop from the most delicate whisper to an explosion of soulful passion, Nicole stands upon the shoulders of the all-time greats while forging her own way toward music history.

Born in Brooklyn, NY into a very artistic family, Ms Nelson was raised by an Irish & Norwegian American Father, and a Trinidadian born mother. Having grown up in the midst of one of the world’s richest cultural melting pots, Nicole found herself deeply in love with the music, fine art, literature and poetry, which always surrounded her. It was there that she began weaving the threads of the great classics into a tapestry of her own style; unmistakably fresh and new.

Often compared to the likes of Eva Cassidy, Donny Hathaway, Gladys Knight, & Erykah Badu, it seems that Nicole’s sound is well interpreted by both young and old, black and white and everyone in between. Her music is familiar like your favorite song, and at the same time, like nothing you’ve ever heard before.

With a recent move to back to New York City, Nicole finds herself again in the very place that set her creative force in motion. A change that is evident by the new shades of complexity in her music, the depth of her voice, her songs. As todays turbulent music industry thrashes and grasps for the "next big thing" it seems that it is only a matter of time before someone shines a very bright light on this very gifted young woman.