Sunday, June 04, 2006

Sonya Kitchell is 17

She was born in 1989, and she was recently featured on NPR ATC.

"Kitchell's 'Words' Get an Encouraging Reception"
All Things Considered, June 3, 2006 - At 17, Sonya Kitchell has appeared on Letterman, performed with Herbie Hancock and she has her own CD, Words Came Back to Me. And she wrote every song on the album, a blend of blues, jazz, folk and pop.

Reviewers, comparing her to Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones, marvel at her mature sound. But Kitchell has been at this business for longer than you might think. She wrote her first song when she was 12 years old.

She chats with Howard Berkes about songwriting, her musical roots and how a teenager from rural Massachusetts "gets" the blues.

There are a couple of her songs (one live) available for streaming at the story page. There are also some things available at her website. Check out her albums Words Came Back To Me and Cold Day [EP].

She has a folksy sound that, like the story mentions, sometimes reminds of Norah Jones or even Joni Mitchell. It's not that fascinating that she has this talent at 17, but it's amazing that she's actually able to do something with it. It's not uncommon to find young talent, but it's usually very raw. Her sound already is very mature. It's impressive.

No comments: