Violet Femmes Vol 2 This is a music project created by RPW Records to promote great music by women artists. Violet Femmes Volume 2 features 19 women and styles ranging from pop, jazz, country, rock, folk and spoken word song. Here is some information about the women on the CD Compilation. Sarah Nebel I have always written music. I started playing the piano at age 5 and was writing my first songs at age 12. I love writing songs in different musical styles - and I enjoy holding small, intimate concerts, studio work - anything creative where I can work with my music or other artists that I like. Lat "Sarah Nebel" is my artist name. My birth name is Elisabeth Endresen (b.1967), and I grew up in Lillestrøm, Norway. I have worked on lots of different musical projects, done theatre and film - mostly in Los Angeles where I lived from 1992-2000. Too many projects too list here; but the ones I had the most fun with: Bit parts in "I'll do anything" (James L. Brooks), "Wild Palms" (Oliver Stone), "Babylon Five" and "Pulp Fiction" (Quentin Tarantino). I was part of the rock group "Six Stories" and other musical projects - playing most of the major L.A. Clubs during the late nineties. Claire Hayek Winner of 'Best Provincial Female Artist' and 'Best Provincial Pop Album' by Toronto Exclusive Magazine, Claire Hayek's very distinctive voice announces the arrival of a singer-songwriter who should be around for a long time to come. A blend of mixed emotions, colourful melodies and textures, her songs aim straight to the heart and to the human conscience. 'Claire Hayek has a vocal sound that is reminiscent of Cher without the gross vocoder fabrications that she adopted later in her career. Hayek has the same sort of dark timbre to her voice and is very distinctive and easy to recognize (once you know the voice)...' Sylvia Patricia The Brazilian singer Sylvia Patricia is now presenting her new album ¨ NO RADIO DA MINHA CABEÇA¨, her fifth CD. A composer and singer from Bahia-Brazil, with a really unique personal style, she mixes Bossa Nova and Brazilian Rhythms with Blues, Jazz, Rock and R&B, as well as doses of Latin music. With her sensual, deep voice, and her versatility as a singer with her own characteristic tone and lyrics ranging from whisper to wild chords has made Sylvia Patricia the first Bahian singer to receive the Sharp Prize revelation in 1990, one important prize in Brazil. Born in Salvador, with indigenous blood from an ancestral on her skin, she uses the music to talk of love and life’s ups and downs in the metropolis, but all from an upbeat point of female view. Arie Thompson Seven years ago, Arie Thompson’s grandmother came to her in a dream. They were driving on the edge of the world and she turned to Arie and said, ”You should be a singer.” With the recent release of her latest set of recordings 4 SONGS, Arie Thompson steps on to the world stage as a fresh musical talent whose unique voice and approach pay homage to her influences, while never naming them outright. Her songwriting is marked by the ability to create lyrical and melodic hooks that stay in your head for days at a time—drawing you back to listen again and discover the subtleties that make her music so moving and effective. Renee French Born and raised in a small Texas town near Houston, Renee French is an award winning Austin-based songwriter, voice coach, and more recently, recording artist. While training hundreds of other singers for nearly ten years at the Austin School of Music, she began writing songs and performing at select songwriter showcases to eager audiences in such notable Austin area venues as Antone’s, Stubb’s, Threadgills World Headquarters, and the Saxon Pub. "If tomorrow’s newest songstress has a face today, it’s that of Renee French, proving that Austin is where talent is born and LA is where it goes to die." Derek Blackmon- Indie-Music.com. Her much-anticipated debut CD, “Two Way Mirror”, is in stores as of November 8, 2005. The music is soft, moody pop with savvy imagery and poignant, intelligent lyric content. Janet Bates Songwriter, Singer, Social Activist Passionate, politically astute, and with phenomenal talent, singer-songwriter Janet Bates usher golden gift of musicianship to help make a difference in the world. With her evocative three-octave contralto vocals and her gift for writing songs that seek to make the world a better place, Janet builds upon what musicians before her have done in previous decades: making the world sit up and pay attention. In the spirit of Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs and Pete Seeger, and recalling the lilting voice of Joan Baez, Canadian Janet Bates brings her talented songwriting and simply lovely vocals to the task of bringing to the forefront of public awareness, the issues of environmental degradation, the politics of war, and social justice for people around the world as well as in her adopted home, the U.S.A. Lorraine Palmer O'Reilly Born in London, England of Irish heritage, Lorraine has had a varied mix of experiences in the music world. Having taken time out to raise a family, she returned to her love of music as a songwriter / performing artist -- touring with an Irish concert troupe throughout Ireland, Europe and appearances in USA. A world traveler who embraces the chance to try something new and challenging.! Having spent time in Nashville last year, Co-writing has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. She continues to write and submit to as many opportunities as possible in the hope that some of her work will one day help causes she believes in. Cece Box .....so there's this story about the fabulous woman of a certain age, who finally breaks free of all the expectations and self-imposed limitations and follows her bliss. She's not trying to conform, not worried about fitting anybody's mold. She's ready - she's earned the right - to tell the truth, to talk and sing about things that are truly important, whether the intimate details of love or the injustices going on in the world. She writes music because she can, often taking on a new genre just to see if she can. In music, as in love, she knows not everyone will get it, but those who do, will get it completely. Marian Call Marian Call is a trained composer and a spunky self-taught singer based out of Anchorage, Alaska. She lives in a beautiful tour bus, the Millennium Tortoise, and roams the country with her husband and other musicians as they're available. Marian writes, records, performs, produces, and distributes original songs at a rapid clip, usually two or three per month. Her self-produced debut album, 'Vanilla,' is an eclectic yet powerfully cohesive collection of original songs, critically acclaimed and loved by fans from all demographics. She also released a song a month on the web for one year as an experimental and educational project. Her second full-length album, "Got to Fly," was a special project by commission for her loyal geek/scif-fi fanbase, but has been well-received by listeners of all stripes regardless of some of the covertly nerdy content. Call's compositions are half study & calculation, half improvisational instinct, and always full of unexpected musical twists and turns. She has written pieces by commission before, for film projects and events, and she has been known to write songs on dares or to surprise devoted fans. Lachi "Though these eyes are broken, well these ears truly see right...in black and white." Lachi sings, referring to her legal blindness, and her true ability to see through black and white piano keys. Sultry, smooth, intelligent and bold, singer/songwriter and pianist Lachi commands cleverly crafted, insightful yet quirky lyrics in her new EP “Ugly Beautiful” best categorized as piano-driven, jazz-influenced alternative rock. Partly inspired by the trials and tribulations she faces as a legally blind Nigerian-American female from her shy childhood to her world-traveling adulthood, her lyrics steer away from mediocrity and carry with them a message of natural beauty and internal conflict. She holds a deep connection with her music, which can be felt and shared by everyone who watches her on stage. One fan said, “Lachi's music and her whole being is quite touching to me. her songs are honest from the heart and her voice is a classic.” Another voiced that Lachi “is so passionate when she sings. You really can feel her pain, her joy, or her struggle.” Pauline Kyllonen Pauline Kyllonen is an independent singer/songwriter from the Okanagan Valley, in British Columbia, Canada. In 2005, Pauline entered one of her first song compositions; Rainbow Café into the Music BC (MAP Program). It was this song that managed to win her 3 days of studio time at The Factory Studios in Vancouver, BC. In April 2008, she was finally able to go to Vancouver and record and produce her debut CD, which was released in June 2008. Since the release, Pauline has been extremely busy self-marketing and promoting her CD extensively via the internet; through community, college and online radio stations and live performances. One of Pauline’s most recent music accomplishments was being a featured “Independent Artist” on the Chevy Cross Canada Countdown with Casey Clarke during the November 14 - 18 Canada-wide broadcast. Country Music Television (CMT) is seen in over 7.8 million Canadian homes. Jean Greer McCarthy Her living room window overlooks the rolling hills of the Oldman River valley in Southern Alberta and the Rocky Mountains beyond. From this serene viewpoint, Jean crafts songs that are reflective and moving. Jean tells her own deeply personal stories (everything from donating bone marrow to motherhood is fair game), and shares her observations on others' lives. "Hope and Wait" is a powerful anthem for those touched by cancer, while "Vagabond Bar Star" pays homage to young vixens, and "Mary Rose" recounts the history of a favourite relative. You are sure to enjoy the time Jean put into the liner notes of "Coulee View" her new CD. Lisa J Carman Lisa was the 2008 New Mexico Music Award winner for country song of the year. Lisa is a singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. She is an independent artist and an independent soul. Her musical roots are in women’s country, folk, blues, and rock, and as a lyricist she writes with a singular, vital force. Communicating intimacy, she has a voice that resonates powerfully with music lovers. Whether you hear her live, or listen in your truck or kitchen, you will be struck by her hard-won western strength as well as the softer-edge of vulnerability in her performances. If you like rootsy country and folk, jazzy layers of harmony, and some comfortable rock and roll, you will love this singer-songwriter for her personal music and stories. Laura Roppé Laura Roppé is a singer/songwriter from San Diego best known for her single, “Mama Needs A Girls Night Out.” The twelve original songs on Laura’s full length debut CD "Girl Like This" all offer something different -- rockers, anthems, mid-tempo grooves, and ballads -- but all songs are from the heart, catchy, and melodic, with clever lyrics. In May 2008, Laura won runner up in Kenny Chesney’s Next Big Star Competition in San Diego. Laura is a multi-dimensional artist -- her album reveals the many sides of this intelligent and passionate woman, from mother, to full-blooded woman, to rocker and rebel, to just plain good time girl. All songs are delivered with honesty, most with wit and humor, and all with heart. Cookie Cutter Girl aka Lynn Julian Cookie Cutter Girl, 21st Century Pop Superhero, is a Girl Power Icon in the Smithsonian's Woman's Movement Section. CCG has appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine and dozens more. Julian's single, "Get the Picture," was in the final "TOP 10" (out of 18,000 entries) in the Billboard Song Contest! Julian's first original CD, "Cookie Cutter Girl," is a concept album of Girl Power Pop, sung by her Pop SuperHero alter ego: Cookie Cutter Girl. Julian co-wrote the COMIC BOOK with Sonic Comic's Justine Fontes. Rebel Red "A singer, guitarist and composer of prodigious talent.... she had the audience in the palm of her hand.....you will be bowled over by Rebel Red's original songs. Her tunes were all seamlessly performed and, to put it simply, Red really rocked the house." Joe Karr - Times Herald Record Rebel Red is the vehicle of singer/songwriter Red, a charismatic performer who reaches out to her audience and pulls them in. Red's vocal style is sassy '60s r&b; her songs combine the catchy melodic element of '60s folkrock with a country-blues backbeat. The latest Rebel Red album, Sex, Religion, Politics is receiving international airplay and features guitarist Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles, Crosby, Stills and Nash) and saxophonist Erik Lawrence (Levon Helm). Lorraine Reid Lorraine Reid pours her soul into the mic every time she steps on stage to sing. Known to many for her work with the dance group Temperance, Lorraine has seven Juno Award nominations securely tucked under her belt. Lorraine has toured North America extensively, and has received great support on radio and Much Music. Lorraine has been performing with Up From The Roots for several years now, and everyone always looks forward to her stepping on the stage and belting out a song that puts goose bumps on your skin. Now, after soul searching, establishing a more mature sound, and reflecting on significant life experiences and memories, it is with great anticipation that Lorraine's new album, LESSONS LEARNED, has been completed. This title, Lesson's Learned, is significant and profound in many ways. It emulates the various challenges and changes Lorraine has endured to make this record a reality Addie Loy Reigning from her stomping grounds of Detroit, Michigan, and currently residing in Kentucky, Addie blends an array of Acoustic styles and Rhythmic forms of her guitar to create her signature contemporary and folk sound. As Addie has been writing music for the past two years, she illustrates her lyrics with situations and circumstances that mirror the existence of everyday life. Addie has mastered the essence of her artistic grace. Influenced by mainstream, industry artists who include, Fleetwood Mac, Tori Amos, Paula Cole, Marc Knoffler and Cat Stevans, Addie released a ten track, studio LP in the summer of 2008. Anything For You was released in part of Tobone Records, and is thematically based upon a song written by Addie and her creative partner, Dave. The critical and commercial success of the debut compilation has garnered Addie airplay on several radio stations throughout Kentucky. AURAL Heather AURAL Heather is the new weather, a unique, sublime fusion of song and spoken word by iconoclast, poet-singer Heather Haley and dazzling guitarist-producer, Roderick Shoolbraid. “The intricate interplay of Haley’s words and Shoolbraid’s music works well in a studio recording and it was a pleasant surprise to see them carry it off so well in a live setting. These works are complex enough to have foiled a less talented duo. The poetry and music here is vital and alive. The performance has its own energy that draws in the audience. Put these words and music together and the whole truly is greater than the parts.” -Sound Bytes