Jazz vocalist inspired by Stevie

[vivfox]

By Tim Henley April 12, 2008
Staff Writer

EDMOND — Jazz vocalist Stacey Kent will perform tonight for a sold-out crowd at the University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab.
Kent is in the midst of a worldwide tour promoting her latest CD, "Breakfast on the Morning Tram.

Her CD has reached gold status in Germany and Paris, selling more than 500,000 copies in each of those countries. This is the first time this 40-year-old South Orange, N.J., native has been to Oklahoma.

Q: You've never been to Oklahoma before; why did you decide to stop here this time around?

A: My agent asked me if I would be interested, and I said yes. Even though I've never been to Oklahoma, I've already had messages on MySpace from people here who say they like the CD. I've had a few song requests as well and I think that's awesome.

Q: What's your favorite song on this CD?

A: "Breakfast on the Morning Tram” is my favorite song on the album. I love the story of the woman who climbs on the tram and she meets other people. Even though they are strangers, she finds that they are simi- lar to her. As a performer, that's how I feel.

Q: On tour, in how many cities do you perform?

A: We tend to tour nonstop eight months out of the year, and we take four months off. For this album, we'll probably do over 200 dates worldwide.

Q: On your CD, what made you decide to cover "Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac?

A: I picked songs that depicted the mood the best. I think it has beautiful poetry. When we were writing the album, I discovered that Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac) wrote the song in Aspen, and we were in Aspen whenever we arranged the song. So, I felt like the song was speaking to me.

Q: Your remake of "What A Wonderful World” was so different from the Louis Armstrong version. What made you want to tackle that song?


A: My producer (and husband Jim Tomlinson) chose that song for me. I am an utter optimist, and I am constantly aware that life is hard and harsh. What we need to do as human beings is find a way to create beauty. I think all of that is in the song.
For more information, go to www.staceykent.com or www.myspace.com/staceykentmusic.

http://newsok.com/article/3228576/1207952240