Sarah Tracey
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
“Conjuring up a world of clandestine meetings in dimly lit lounges, miniature revolvers attached to garter straps, and rounds of martinis consumed like Gatorade after a 5K, Sarah Tracey is the kind of date you don’t turn your back on… Her new album, a throwback to the best of mid-century lounge and 007 title tracks, is the kind of “retro”-fitted songwriting that brought stars like Adele and Amy Winehouse to popular consciousness.” - The Showt
"Redefining the 'torch song', Sarah Tracey's seductive, smoky voice proves she is a crooner to look out for as well as an accomplished songwriter on her forthcoming EP, Cards On The Table." - NEW YORK PRESS
Influenced by great female artists like Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday, Sarah Tracey is quickly climbing as a name to know in the New York music scene. Poetic and insightful in her songwriting, Tracey is inspired by film noir and the idea of femme fatale, laced with beautiful melodies and a playful spirit. - REBEL SPIRIT MUSIC
“Profused with bluesy-soul tones, mature, soulful textures, glossy vocal chimes and emotional resolve, she sings the blues naturally… making a niche for herself along with the classics.” - Northeast InTune
“Sarah's music takes the bluesy, club beats of jazz and weaves them into the classical textures of her vocal melodies making the sounds of the street possess a touch of class, similar to the styles of Alicia Keys and Norah Jones.”
- Amore Magazine
“Soulful, passionate, emotionally resonant, and timeless.” - Musiqtone.com
“Pop/blues siren Sarah Tracey’s acoustic guitar strumming is coupled with driving, hypnotic drum pounds, dashes of jazz, and arcs of brawny cello slides… Sarah’s full mouth vocals amplify the heady resonance of her words, seducing her audience to fall into her musical landscape.” - Northeast InTune
“Her voice exudes tenderness and warm femininity, with heated vocals and penetrating feline purrs governing her melodic passages as her pulsing vocals breathe life into her songs and enchant her audience.” - muzikreviews.com
“With a disciplined recklessness, Sarah’s sultry voice and piano flourishes venture into risky planes. Her cover of INXS’s hit single “Need You Tonight” crafts a bluesy/lounge take on the dance/rock track and delivers a blushing aurora of feverish, pitched vocals.” - New York Woman
“Sarah’s set moves into high flying vocal symphonies like “Snapshot of a Girl” and “After The Rain,” as she plays jazz piano and sings with sultry, graceful vocals reminiscent of Billie Holiday and Dianne Reeves… The sleek resonance of “Remember To Forget” captures a warmth that comforts sorrow, while her cover of The Doors tune ‘People Are Strange’ delivers vocals that could melt iron like butter.” - GigTimes
'Sultry-voiced Chicago singer/songwriter spins stark, smoky ballads.' - TIME OUT NEW YORK
In what could be music straight out of “Mad Men” or any other show set back in the days of hoppin’ jazz clubs when the men wore tuxes and the women fancy dresses, and black and white television filtered the mainstream, comes Sarah Tracey, she who brings the men to their knees.
...Tracey stole the show with a voice full of repletion, intrigue, and seduction. - Knox Road
Just divine. If you want to impress a lady friend or gentleman friend with a night of wine and sexy song, you can do no wrong with Sarah. - MusicSnobbery.com
Sexy in a sophisticated way ... It’s a package deal here.
- Single Of The Day
Sarah Tracey immerses herself into her songs delivering them with the stately poise and beauty of a diva.
- Jazz Inside Magazine
Sarah Tracey brings torch music into the twenty-first century with the subtlety of an axe slicing through butter. Encompassing the earthy tones of Billie Holiday and Kay Starr, the stratospheric reach of Judy Garland, and the va-va-voom appeal of Ann-Margret, Tracey steps right out of another era with a bang. Hold on to your hats.
...She owns her genre like only the best can.
- Wildy's World
Discography
'Tell No One' LP, 2011, Modern Vintage Recordings.
Produced by Patrick Ermlich and Eshy Gazit.
Recorded at Sear Sound Recording and The Cutting Room Studios, New York City.
'Cards On The Table' EP, 2008.
Produced, recorded and mixed by Eshy Gazit and Patrick Ermlich at The Cutting Room Studios, Manhattan, NYC
Mastered by Fred Kevorkian at Avatar Studios, NYC
'Sarah Tracey' self-titled EP, 2006.
Produced by Jim Perry, recorded and mixed by Michael Peters, and mastered by Steve Kadison at Sony Music Studios, New York City.
Photos
Bio
Sarah Tracey was born with an adventurous spirit and flair for drama. Her family tree reads like something out of Indiana Jones: she was descended from Irish horse thieves and Mayflower crusaders; eccentric visionaries and aviation pioneers; scandalous headline-makers and submarine-dodgers; explorers and excavators (it was, after all, on an archeological dig in 1938 that her grandfather discovered one of the first dinosaur fossils in North America).
So, it’s no surprise that in dreaming up her debut full-length album, Tell No One, she slipped into the stiletto boots and fearless drive of a glamorous spy girl, writing dizzy fantasies of jet-setting around the globe and uncovering decadent and dangerous secrets along the way.
Tell No One covers a decidedly bolder musical terrain than Sarah Tracey has ever dared risk until now. Inspired by the espionage film scores of the Cold War era- complete with a sexy vintage kick and a swingin’ horn section- it’s the perfect backdrop for sipping your martini while reaching for the dynamite in your boot heel, escaping a helicopter while swinging your vintage convertible out of a mountain curve, or an undercover fling into a seductress double agent’s lair. The sultry and sensual vocals that have become Miss Tracey’s trademark are ever-present, but the playful, sassy and empowered vibe owes just as much to Nancy Sinatra as it does Nina Simone.
‘Sitting on pianos and crooning torchy laments got a little boring,’ explains Tracey. ‘It was time to kick it up a notch. I took a chance on this album and just went for it... I pushed myself out of that comfort zone. I wanted the listener to travel the world with me through their very own dreams and fantasies.’ She points out that ‘Spy’ genre was full of fun musical twists to play with. ‘We have everything represented here from action-packed high-energy retro grooves and surf guitar riffs, to tango and exotic Latin lounge beats, to jazz-inflected lullabies.’
Lyrically, the concept of the ‘secret identity’ took on a rich and emotionally resonant tone. “My lyrical inspiration for these songs was the duality of my two personalities: my controlled ‘everyday’ self vs. my reckless ‘by night’ self. I think a lot of people can relate to the feeling of having a secret, hidden side that you rarely show- just like a secret agent and their ‘cover’ identity. You may not be travelling on missions to Budapest or Bali, but we all have secret lives.’
The release of Tell No One marks an important milestone for this Chicago-bred singer/songwriter. As a child, she was always on the quest to add a little spice and sizzle to life- from belting out operatic trills around the house to shocking her conservative pre-school teachers with her Flashdance-inspired moves. But to her parents’ great relief, she began to channel this runaway creativity into music, writing her first song at age five. Her early repertoire was characterized by an obsession with Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas, endless Jessica Rabbit impersonations, and a few highly praised stints as ‘Poison Ivy’ in backyard productions of Batman.
Of course it wasn’t all fantasy: the necessity of hard work was drilled into her by her grandfather: a ballet dancer, Shakespeare aficionado, cellist, and musical mentor who made sure Sarah got the training and education every legitimate artist needs to thrive. After studying at the Cincinnati and Boston Conservatories, and the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, she moved to NYC with music degree in hand.
Her New York career has been a rollercoaster of diverse musical experiments and dues-paying. Highlights include: crooning sultry ballads at midnight every Saturday as the opening act for a magician in an underground speakeasy, strutting white satin gloves and sequins as a professional Doo-Wop Girl with Rock and Roll legends The Drifters and The Coasters, singing the best of Motown at Caesar’s Palace Casino in Atlantic City, providing hooks for hip-hop tracks as a studio session vocalist, channeling her inner Bardot while paying tribute to the music of Serge Gainsbourg (playing a set exclusively in French!) for the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, shimmying and serenading in naughty Burlesque shows, singing Verdi’s Requiem at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center (supporting the Interschool Orchestras of New York), and honing her own songwriting in the small clubs and tucked-away cabarets of downtown Manhattan.
Partly funded by her fans, Tell No One was recorded live at legendary Sear Sound Recording in New York City, with sultry grooves provided by some of NYC’s favorite session players. Extra flash was brought in by a brass section straight from Broadway and backup vocals from her own team of Doo-Wop girls. A sexy, stylish, and soulful journey of intrigue through secret hotel rooms, mysterious penthouses, and soaring private jets, Tell No One will be released by Modern Vintage Recordings on September 27
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