Avery Raquel

On an album of mostly self-penned ballads, Without a Little Rain, Avery Raquel lets ’er rip on her rendition of the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

It is a soulful wailing about the threat of love lost, a far cry from her cheery age-appropriate songs on her first album, Life Lessons.

At 15, Brantford’s jazz teen sensation is maturing before her audiences’ eyes. On the road for the past two years attending festivals and performing in clubs, the Brantford Collegiate Student who enters Grade 11 this fall is working hard at providing the foundation for a breakout year.

Read more: It’s 29 years and counting for Beaches International Jazz Festival

She performs at the South Coast Jazz Festival in Port Dover, Ont., on Saturday followed by Riverfest in Elora, Ont., on Sunday and the Hot & Spicy Food Festival in Toronto on Sept. 3.

“If Avery stays true to herself and cultivates her intuition and follows her passion, I think everything is going to work out great for her,” says piano teacher Adrean Farrugia, who is also in her band.

Working for someone half his age is easy, he says. “Music is music, regardless of who is playing it.”

However, he admits that the guys in the green room tone down their jokes and stories when she’s around.

There have been no teen tantrums, rebellion or slacking off on her mission to succeed, Farrugia says. “She is a very Zen personality” and is good at “rolling with the punches, which in this business is a very valuable asset.”

Her father Lorne Kadish, who is self-employed in marketing, has leapt at every performing opportunity to give Raquel experience and expose her to larger audiences.

“A lot of people look at her and think that jazz is so odd,” Kadish says of his only child. As early as age 7, “she was throwing out jazz notes out of nowhere,” he says.

Her earliest influences were Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, says Kadish, who really had to scour the jazz oeuvre to find songs “relatable to a 14-year-old girl.”

So no “Don’t Explain,” “Black Coffee” and “My Man,” the lovelorn torch songs that thread most jazz sets. It was “Swinging on a Star” and “Accentuate the Positive” instead on her first album.

Jazz legend David Clayton-Thomas unites his raspy lived-in voice with Raquel’s girlish, clear tones in “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” on the second album

Singing with the long-established Canadian artist was a thrill, she says. “I think he’s amazing. He is a lot more serious (in the studio).”

Clayton-Thomas has been watching her perform and Raquel considers him a valuable mentor.

“I learned from him.”

She’s starting to branch out into soul, she adds.

She finds herself listening to Amy Winehouse and Norah Jones these days. Also, some of her concerts have drifted from jazz into pop. She had to learn 40 Beatles songs to perform three 45-minute sets in the Beatles Festival in London, Ont., a few years ago.

That’s how “Oh! Darling” ended up on her second album and “Blackbird” on her first. She will appear at this year’s Beatles Festival on Sept. 9.

She is aware of the social media campaign that propelled Justin Bieber (now 23) to stardom and from which current Canadian singing sensation Shawn Mendes, 19, has benefited.

But she is sticking to her slow and steady of approach “to perform live and get my music out there.”

There’s no hint the grind is getting to her. “I so love performing; I could never get tired of it,” she says.

Producer and manager Greg Kavanagh, who worked with her on her second album, has great expectations for Raquel.

“She has an unbelievable natural phrasing, not unlike singers from the past, where she lays things back and interprets a melody.

“She is studying piano and has a solid understanding of music, and can comfortably talk to veteran musicians as an equal.”

Winning a summer scholarship to Boston’s Berklee College of Music and attending and performing at the Newport Jazz Festival this summer are giant steps forward, he says. (She also sang three times at New York’s famous jazz joint Birdland and met industry executives.)

“I expect she will be in the company of the best of the best in music very soon,” Kavanagh says. “People can’t believe she is as accomplished as she is and also worry about the changes that life brings between 15 and 20, but Avery is a dedicated artist and will be doing this for a very long term.”

Although career beckons, Raquel makes sure she gets her homework done, communicates regularly with her teachers and never lets her grades slip.

“I’ve maintained my honour roll (standing),” she says proudly.

So far, she’s earned an A in hard work.

Correction – August 17, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated Avery Raquel’s age. As well, Greg Kavanagh is her manager, not her father in the previous version. - Toronto Star

On her sophomore recording, young vocalist Avery Raquel has not only created a satisfying follow-up to her 2016 debut but has matured into a fine, contemporary songwriter. Collaborating with producer, arranger and musician Greg Kavanagh (and vocalist Sophia Perlman), Raquel has co-authored six tracks, and in so doing, has established her own, unique voice as both a composer and singer – no easy trick.

Joining Raquel and Kavanagh (who plays guitar on this project) is a strong lineup of musicians, including Adrean Farrugia on acoustic and electric piano, Ross MacIntyre on bass, Joel Haynes on drums, Ben Lemma on guitar, Amoy Levy on backing vocals, Kaelin Murphy on trumpet/flugelhorn, Brandon Tse on alto sax, Emma Haynes on percussion and special guest, the iconic David Clayton-Thomas (of Blood, Sweat & Tears) on the Disney classic from Toy Story, You’ve Got a Friend in Me – which is a fresh, jazzy, soulful take on this Disney standard, featuring excellent bass work on this track by Jaden Raso.

Other notable tracks include the catchy and engaging title tune, Without a Little Rain; the funky Your Mouth Is the Door, which not only boasts a clever lyric, but displays Raquel’s vocal power and control as the song builds in intensity. Without question, Dreaming (co-written with Perlman) is one of the strongest compositions on the recording – not overly arranged, as well as rhythmic and appealing, the song seamlessly highlights the lovely gossamer lightness of Raquel’s vocal quality. Sophisticated chord voicings and wonderful flugelhorn work by Murphy are the icing on this irresistible cake.

Concert Notes: Avery Raquel has a busy schedule this summer with performances June 11: Barrie Jazz Festival – Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library; June 24: Children of the Forest Fundraiser – The Duke Live, Toronto; June 29: Music on the Waterfront – Hamilton; July 20: Summer Concert Series – Goderich; July 22: Jazz at the Museum – Haliburton; August 19: South Coast Jazz Festival – Port Dover; and August 20: Riverfest – Elora. - The Whole Note

Avery Raquel was making an impression at the South Coast Jazz Music Festival.

The Brantford-based teen singing sensation performed old standards and some of her own material at the Port Dover Community Centre to a reasonably full room at the fourth annual celebration of music on Saturday.

Before starting a classic number, Raquel told the crowd it was the first jazz song she performed after first developing a love for the genre at the age of 7.

Festival founder and organizer Juliann Kuchocki stood in the lobby listening to Raquel while still remaining available to her volunteers, guests and sponsors.

“Doesn’t Avery sound great?” she said. “I really think she’s ready.”

Kukochi was pleased to point out the festival offered five different venues to listen to music this year, including a patio at the community centre, a stage down by the water in Riverfront Park and the Norfolk Arts Centre in Simcoe.

The final shows were slated for Sunday at Burning Kiln Winery in St. Williams.

The shows started on Friday morning and had everyone dancing by the evening, according to Kuchocki, especially to closers Dee Dee and the Dirty Martinis.

Kuchocki said the festival incorporates much more than just jazz, including the blues, Afro-Cuban influences, sounds from New Orleans to name a few

“I like to bring together all different kinds of music and flavours,” she said.

And she means that quite literally because there is a lot of consideration given to what kind of food and drink is served while the music is playing.

Kuchocki also loves to see newcomers realize just how familiar many of the classic songs are to them.

“They know them from cartoons, movies, soundtracks,” she said.

Kuchocki dedicated this year’s festival to the memory of her mother, Bonnie Lowe, who introduced her to music.

But it was in a seemingly unlikely place Kuchocki first got hooked on jazz. At the age of 19, she worked at Disneyland in Tokyo as a dancer and singer.

She heard a jazz quintet recording in one of Disney’s immaculate recording studios. Kuchocki loved the music and her first instinct was to figure how to move to it. At the time, she was already an accomplished dancer with numerous awards.

Yet the jazz they played was so dynamic, complex and unpredictable, she didn’t know where to start.

“I was totally intrigued,” she said. “It was so exciting, but I couldn’t find the one. It was so layered.”

A collision later ended Kuchocki’s dance career, then she turned to music and still does choreography.

For around 20 years now, she has been performing with jazz, blues, party bands and has recorded several albums.

Stay tuned to www.southcoastjazz.com to find out what’s in store in 2018 for the jazz festival. - The Norfolk News

PORT DOVER - Area jazz fans have been keeping a close eye on Brantford’s Avery Kadish, known on the jazz circuit as Avery Raquel.
For almost a decade, they have watched the little wonder singing national anthems, winning music contests and performing at area jazz festivals as a tiny phenom and now, as a full-fledged songstress at 16 who can command a room for a full set.
“She’s fantastic,” said musician Tom Elliott, who was enjoying the South Coast Jazz festival on Saturday.
“I’ve seen her when she was younger and her voice is getting more mature and her musical style is developing. She has a wonderful virtuosity.”
For festival founder, Juliann Kuchocki, giving Avery Raquel a headline spot in the festival was a natural next step.
“I saw her at Brantford Has Talent years ago and thought ‘She needs to be one of our Jazzin’ Juniors’ in our show. I introduced her to everyone I could and she’s so good now that I gave her her own spot.”
Avery was enjoying the local gig.
“Usually I’m all over Toronto or travelling to various music festivals, like Haliburton, so this was pretty convenient,” she said.
Those who have been monitoring her progress will have noted a change in trajectory.
Avery said she’s moving slightly away from true jazz into a contemporary soul sound a la Amy Winehouse.
“It seems to be working.”
The young songstress was off to Riverfest after her South Coast Jazz commitment and will perform in Toronto at the Hot and Spicy Food Festival on Sept. 3. Then it will be time for a dose of the daily grind as she prepares to return to Brantford Collegiate Institute and get her G-1 driving licence in the next few weeks.
This year is the fourth iteration of South Coast Jazz, a small festival that’s growing, partly thanks to some government funding that allowed it to expand to five locations this year.
Founder Kuchocki focused on Canadian talent this year, paying homage to the country’s 150th birthday, but there was also a tip of the hat to Brantford.
Avery Raquel was the only local headliner and Kuchocki herself is a former Brantfordian.
A former singer and dancer with solid film credits, Kuchocki’s career was severely derailed when she was in a car accident. And then another, and another and another – none of them her fault.
“I had done very well so I lived off my savings for ten years but eventually I thought, if I can’t dance, I’ll sing.”
Kuchocki now has five albums in North America and at least eight of them overseas where she’s popular in places like Thailand and Malaysia.
With a list of talented performers and technicians in her contact book, Kuchocki birthed the festival in 2014.
A small group of “amazing” volunteers help to run the event and, this year jazz stars like Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Rob Pilch, Dee Dee and the Dirty Martinis and Bill King entertained.
“Our biggest challenge right now is we need a title sponsor. It’s time.”
The festival ran in Port Dover at Riverfront Park, the Port Dover Community Centre and the Port Dover Arena, in Simcoe at the Norfolk Arts Centre and in St. Williams at Burning Kiln Winery.
For some performances, food vendors matched the music – soul, New Orleans and Afro-Cuban.
Kuchocki expected to surpass last year’s attendance of 1,500. - Brantford Expositor

Submitted by Don Graham

One of the hardest things for young people these days is trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. There are so many options and it’s hard to make up your mind at a young age to decide what you would like to spend your life doing. But that’s not a dilemma for young Avery Raquel. At 14 years old, Avery is focused and primed for a career in music. When asked about her favourite musical memory Avery says, “I remember my parents taking me to see Annie when I was about 4, and I came home and learned all the songs.”

From the age of 4, she began traveling from her home in Hamilton, Ontario, across the country to perform and quickly became proficient in singing, dancing and acting. But of the three, although Avery has worked in film with television productions for Disney and Dreamworks, music is the source of her passion. “I remember my Dad playing Ray Charles’ version of ‘Over The Rainbow’ and calling me down to listen and sing along. I loved singing those great songs.”

And that is one of the things that will set Avery apart from the herd, her choice of material and genre. Jazz and standard songs are in her wheelhouse and not many 14 year olds can say that in their press kits and fewer still can pull it off. She has already been the recipient of awards in her jazz career including the 2014 Rise2Fame Youth Talent Search. She is a confident live performer inspired by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and more current artists like Diana Krall and Nikki Yanofsky, Avery has been fortunate enough to have performed at numerous festivals like the Oakville Jazz Festival, the Brantford Jazz Festival and the South Coast Jazz Festival sharing the stage with the likes of June Garber, Rob Reed, Lou Pomanti and the Dave Restivo Trio. She’s also sung in New York City’s famous Metropolitan Room and the iconic Birdland Jazz Club, where she played to enthusiastic audiences, Avery Raquel has a new album that was released on January 22 with the official CD release on February 23, 2016 (see below for details) Avery is exciting to put it out there and let the public see what she’s capable of. “I recorded this album with some of the best musicians around, players like Joel Haynes, Mike Pelletier, Rob Fekete, and Sophia Perlman to name a few.”

“ Life Lessons” is a cool blend of jazz styles and songs from the past, the album includes traditional songs arranged in a modern style and each one gives Avery a chance to show her skills. Songs like: ‘Fragile’ by Sting, ‘Reach Out and Touch Someone’ by Diana Ross,‘Que Sera Sera’ by Sly and the Family Stone, ‘Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing’ by Stevie Wonder, “Beautiful” by Carole King, “Blackbird” by The Beatles, and even the classic “Over the Rainbow”, which harkens back to a 7 year old girl listening to her Dad’s records. There are some standards as well like “Accentuate the Positive”, “Swinging On A Star”, and Billie Holiday’s “God Bless The Child”.The album was recorded at Merriam Studios in Oakville, under the engineering prowess of Mike Tompa.


In a musical world where sizzle seems to outweigh substance Avery Raquel chooses to swim upstream with her latest release "Life Lessons". A young fresh approach to some old standards delivered with the strength and confidence of a seasoned veteran. People get ready, Avery Raquel is on her way.

Avery Raquel
Jazz Bistro/ 251 Victoria Street (Toronto)
Tuesday, February 23 2016 7 - 9pm
Door @ 6pm
$10 Door Cover

For more visit www.averyraquel.com - Cashbox Canada

Brantford songstress releases debut album
Life Lessons sees Avery Raquel put unique jazz twist on pop tunes

DEBUT ALBUM
Avery Raquel Kadish
Brant News
By Colleen Toms

Fourteen-year-old Avery Raquel Kadish has learned many life lessons during her already 10-year career as a performer.

With the release of her debut album, Life Lessons, the young Brantford actor and songstress looks forward to a long and successful road ahead.

Avery worked with seasoned jazz professionals like Joel Haynes, Mike Pelletier, Rob Fekete and Sophia Perlman to produce Life Lessons, which includes a collection of songs that were rearranged in a modern jazz and blues style.

“Coincidentally when we were all picking the songs they all had a lesson to learn,” Avery said. “So we thought it would be really interesting to name the album Life Lessons.

“Because I’m 14 years old it was a lot harder to pick age appropriate music. So we tried really hard to make sure the songs were able to connect to me in some way.”

Most of the songs are pop songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s that Avery put her own creative twist on.

“It’s kind of an interesting concept that we chose to do with it,” Avery said. “I like singing jazz because, first of all, you can actually understand what they are saying, and the songs actually have meaning.

“With jazz you can really embellish it and make the song your own and be creative with it. I like creativity with music.”

Blackbird by The Beatles, Fragile by Sting, Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing by Stevie Wonder and Reach Out and Touch by Diana Ross are among the well-known tunes featured on Life Lessons.

The album has earned Avery positive reviews and received some airplay on radio.

“I’ve had lots of buzz on different radio stations like Jazz FM and CBC Radio 1 and CBC Radio 3,” Avery said. “I’ve had lots of positive responses to the album and I’m hoping to get even more positive response.”

Avery also has an impressive acting portfolio that includes a variety of film and television projects, including Disney and Dreamworks productions and musical theatre roles in Mary Poppins and The Secret Garden.

“Right now there’s not that much out there acting-wise for me,” she said. “I love doing musical theatre but right now there aren’t that many roles for a 14-year-old girl in any show.”

Avery’s focus has shifted more to music and toward a career in singing. She is a member of the Oakville High Rendition Jazz Band and the Toronto Jazz FM Youth Big Band.

“I’m really hoping to make it a full-time career,” she said. “I will probably go into university for music instead of musical theatre because I can probably still do musical theatre on the side.”

Avery has grown into a confident teen since starting high school.

“I’m in the Laurier program so I’m surrounded by several like-minded people who are really supportive,” she said. “I feel a lot more confident with letting myself be myself in a way, with all my new friends at school.”

In the future Avery hopes to establish a program to assist budding musicians who can’t afford music lessons.

“There are a lot of charities for musical instruments but not necessarily the lessons to know how to play them,” she said. “Especially when it comes to singing because your voice is your own instrument and you should be able to know how to use that, too.”

Avery will perform at The Jazz Bistro in Toronto on Feb. 23 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to celebrate the official release of Life Lessons. Tickets cost $10 at the door.

Avery will also be a guest on the Ted Woloshyn radio show on CFRB 1010 on Saturday at 1 p.m. Visit www.averyraquel.com for more information or to purchase the album. - Brant News - MetrolandMedia

January 30th live broadcast. - CFRB 1010AM

Article is digital only. - Hamilton Magazine

Avery Raquel – ‘My Heart Away’ (GKM): A jazz ingenue whose career path is eerily similar to Nikki Yanofsky’s own, the Hamilton teen has already secured a name for herself with mentors including David Clayton-Thomas (who lent his recognizable pipes for her second album) and a cheque-book of festival talent buyers who have been eager to promote her and have her back for return engagements.

Youthful as she is, her emotive style borders recognizable torch singers and a barstool of lounge crooners who once romanced audiences with a parcel of lipstick songs in watering holes made famous by the Rat Pack and Raymond Chandler.

Producer and manager Greg Kavanagh, who worked with her on her second album, has great expectations for Raquel.

“She has an unbelievable natural phrasing, not unlike singers from the past, where she lays things back and interprets a melody… and can comfortably talk to veteran musicians as an equal.”

“My Heart Away” is taken from an upcoming nine-song album that she hopes to deliver later this year. - FYI Music News

With her new album of self-penned compositions, jazz/soul singer Avery Raquel takes a major step forward in her progression as a musician. Embracing a soulful sound, she presents a concept album focused on the life cycle of a relationship from its tender beginnings to its unfortunate parting, from the newness of love to the willingness to let it go and see what comes ahead.

Avery is blessed with a voice that’s uniquely suited both for jazz (with which she began her career) and soul (into which she has transitioned) – by turns husky and tender, fiery and delicate. She has also honed her songwriting skills, placed here on full display with songs such as “I Think I’m Falling,” a great exploration of love’s first blush, and “Beauty in Goodbyes,” traversing the hidden blessings that can come from a relationship’s end – one of the highlights of the album for me. The album’s closer, “Hold on to Today,” is a powerhouse ballad indeed; as well as Avery sings the more uptempo pieces on the project, she really comes into her own on this tune.

As I mention in my conversation below with Avery, I hear definite hints of the R&B/soul sounds from my own youth in the 1970s, deftly blended with contemporary twists throughout. This is an enjoyable album and heralds, I believe, great things ahead for this young talent.

Thanks to Avery for taking some time to talk to us about the album!

Your press materials are describing this album as “contemporary soul” (which seems apt!) – your musical roots are in jazz… what’s inspired you to shift your sound on this project?

My music still carries very strong jazz undertones. Starting in Jazz allowed me to experiment more musically. As I started the songwriting process, it was just natural that my past influence would carry through somehow. Through the process though, we also knew that we wanted music that would cross boundaries from Jazz to more mainstream. I think the closest thing to jazz in modern music is RnB/soul so that was the direction the songs took me, as I was writing them. We (my producer and I), also wanted to ensure that they had a retro feel, kind of Motown meets Stax, which is why we added a lot of live horns.

As I’m listening to the album, I’m hearing some elements not only of modern R&B but also some really great retro sounds that remind me of some of the music I heard growing up in the 1970s. Are there some artists – either then or now – who’ve especially influenced this new direction for you?

Sometimes I wish I grew up in the 70’s. I wanted to use horns in as many songs as I could. Some of my biggest influences started from the jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker and Carmen McRae, then some Motown artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross. But I have a big love for people like Amy Winehouse, Allen Stone, Corinne Bailey Rae, Daniel Caesar, Sam Smith because their vibe is similar to what I want to accomplish.

This album, unlike your previous work, is comprised solely of your own compositions… how has that aspect made this project different for you in terms of process and also in terms of your feelings as you’ve released the work out into the world?

The previous album ‘Without A Little Rain’, was my first entry into songwriting. I had 6 songs that were co-written with my producer Greg Kavanagh. That was a little nerve racking because the idea of songwriting is sharing your personal feelings with a bunch of people.

As I got deeper into the process though, I very much enjoyed it, more then I was expecting. It also helps to have an amazing songwriting partner.

‘My Heart Away’ was way easier to write because I only write based off of personal experiences, and a lot happened in the 6 months of my life leading up to this album. When you personalize art, I find it makes it way easier for the listener to connect, because chances are they’ve experienced the same feelings or events.

If I understand correctly, the album chronicles the story of a relationship. “Beauty in Goodbyes” is the song in the cycle with which I think I resonate the most (since one such goodbye opened the door for the relationship I now have) – “Great things can happen in the end / not knowing what you’ll find / sometimes there’s beauty in goodbyes…” That can be a difficult place to reach, though; has it been so for you?

Everyone has fears, and my biggest fear is losing someone. Coming to terms with the fact that you have done all you can for a person and continue to try, but they don’t care about you anymore, can take a while to recover from. Telling yourself that things will be better is particularly hard when you know they aren’t in that moment, but you have to tell yourself, it’s okay to not be okay. Saying that there’s “beauty in goodbyes” just means that saying goodbye is sometimes what we have to do for the betterment of ourselves and others. In this particular relationship, it just wasn’t healthy, and I needed to stop and consider the amount of respect I have for myself. I just had to close that door in order to open so many more, “The sun sets to rise again.” I’m in high school, I’m still a kid with my whole life ahead of me. I know that there are great things to happen in the end, as I believe everything happens for a reason.

Now that you’re three albums into what I suspect (and hope!) will be a very promising musical career, what has been the biggest surprise along the way?

When you first begin down this road, you don’t really expect much, other than from friends and family. I’ve tried to look at it more as a learning experience and grow musically. However, as we launched the 2nd album, and the reach went farther than my local town, I was most surprised by the positive response and acceptance. Still rooted in the Jazz community at that time, I was very much brought into their community and was allowed to shine and grow. That acceptance was a great boost for my confidence, and allowed me to write ‘My Heart Away’. Even now, with the third album, the response has been overwhelming and unexpected. People from all around the world have embraced my music, and that’s an amazing feeling. This recent album debuted at #11 on the Canadian Top 200 iTunes RnB/Soul chart. It also charted in Sweden, and has had positive responses in Germany, UK and of course United States. That response surprised me.

Ultimately, it’s what every artist’s hopes for, but it’s still surprising when it happens. You write and perform music because it’s your passion, but when others share that passion, it makes it all worthwhile.

You have several dates lined up this summer, including Burlington’s Sound of Music Festival and the Toronto Jazz Festival… any dates in particular you want to highlight?

I am very excited for all of them. We are however, treating the TO jazz Fest as a CD release concert, as we were unable to make that happen when the new album actually dropped. It would be great to get as many people out to that as possible on June 25th.

The Burlington Sound of Music is also new for me, and being scheduled to perform just before the amazing Molly Johnson, is an incredible opportunity.

I am also at the Beaches Jazz Fest on July 7th and Hamilton Waterfront in August. All the dates are on my website, averyraquel.com We’re adding more dates all the time. - Great Dark Wonder

Avery Raquel is clearly an artist for whom superstardom is just a matter of time – shorter than one might think, judging by the results of her performance on My Heart Away. On this disc Raquel reveals herself as an artist of the first order, broadening out from the run-of-the-mill pop repertory which many of her generation are stuck in. Her instrument is gorgeous: lustrous, precise and luminously powerful. Her musicianship is fierce as she digs into the expression of each word of the lyrics she writes and sings.

Raquel is accompanied here by a constellation of Canadian superstars – producer and guitarist Greg Kavanagh, pianist Adrean Farrugia, bassist Ross MacIntyre, drummers Joel Haynes and Ben Riley – to name just a few of those who flesh out the music here. Together they create the defining moments on the powerful ballad Who I Am.

The music on the disc recalls the heyday of Motown and Stax recordings with benchmark performances of vocal music characterized as soul. However, none of this work would soar quite so high into the rarefied realm of music were it not for Raquel’s genuine gifts. The manner in which songs speak to her leads one to believe that the connection is powerful and personal. How she responds to these narratives is nothing short of miraculous and each song gains enormously from this relationship between songwriter, song and vocalist. All of this makes Raquel a musical rarity. - The WholeNote