Singer, songwriter and pianist Kelley Hunt began performing within the Seventies, and has performed in golf equipment in addition to jazz, blues and gospel festivals across the nation. Her new, seventh recording marks a primary for Hunt: a vacation album.
“I have been desirous to do one for fairly some time,” Hunt says, “and I actually wished to do one thing that was uniquely my very own — that included not solely songs that meant one thing to me, that I grew up listening to and singing, however songs that I might written myself.”
Hunt launched “Winter Soulstice” this November.
“And the timing looks like it was a very long time coming, but it surely was proper on time,” she says.
Carlos Moreno
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KCUR 89.3
The album was recorded in August in Kansas Metropolis, and encompasses a roster of space performers like drummer Brandon Graves and The Wires, a string duo of Sacha Groschang and Laurel Parks.
Each musician besides one on the album is from the Kansas Metropolis space, says Hunt, who lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and was born in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri.
“I wished an actual Kansas Metropolis taste and really feel to all the tracks,” she says, “and these guys introduced it.”
The roots journal No Depression referred to as “Winter Soulstice” a “huge band, gospel/soul platter.” The recording contains vacation classics like “Silent Night time” and “It Got here Upon a Midnight Clear,” and new songs about peace and unity.
“The theme of this entire album actually is upliftment,” says Hunt, “unifying of us at a time of 12 months after I assume, hopefully, we’re all leaning in the direction of that.”
The Fish Fry host Chuck Haddix spoke with Hunt within the KCUR studios. Their dialog has been edited for size and readability.
Most vacation CDs rely on vacation requirements. You took slightly totally different musical path to this. How did you assemble the repertoire for this?
Nicely, I have been engaged on it for fairly some time. I’ve finished 5 years of Winter Soulstice exhibits, stay exhibits — till the pandemic.
And I had an opportunity over time to essentially sift by means of and take into consideration; If I had been to do a vacation album, what would I do in my very own approach and the way would it not be totally different?
There are plenty of requirements, Christmas songs, that I really like to listen to yearly, however there’s plenty of stuff that other people do this simply sort of sound like the identical, outdated standard.
Carlos Moreno
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KCUR 89.3
I used to be able to step away from that, together with including some songs of my very own. These songs actually are close to and expensive to my coronary heart. I grew up singing them and I had my very own take and preparations on them that I used to be in a position to flesh out slightly bit earlier than the studio.
A contemporary tackle the classics, but additionally some fascinating new Christmas evergreens, together witha song called “You, You, You,” which is sort of a lustful tune.
That is my tip of the hat to a few of the songs like, you understand, “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’” and “Five Pound Box of Money,” and all these enjoyable outdated chestnuts there. It was simply my tackle that tongue-in-cheek — and, man, it is enjoyable to do stay.
The final monitor on this CD is “Auld Lang Syne.” Now you probably did two totally different takes on this. How did that come about?
That happened from stay efficiency. That first model that you simply’ll hear is one thing that I spontaneously did on one in every of our Winter Soulstice exhibits about three or 4 years in the past. James (Albright) was on bass, Allena (Ross) was on vocals, and I simply began taking part in it with out telling them I used to be going to do it. It simply sort of got here to me, that model.
It is a poignant model of the track. It’s an emotional time of 12 months for lots of parents, and the track itself is, you understand, fairly nostalgic.
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR 89.3
After which I simply needed to tear into the jump-and-boogie model proper after that to depart folks feeling uplifted.
Al Berman — my supervisor, my husband and my co-producer of all of our albums — inspired me to go forward and do it that approach on the report, and I am actually glad he did. He was proper. It was plenty of enjoyable and we have gotten some good reactions to it.
It is a great distinction of not solely tempos however model. The second model of “Auld Lang Syne”; How did you turn gears on this one?
Oh man, it was simple as a result of this model of music appears like residence to me — appears like Kansas Metropolis to me. It was a ball to do, and it simply got here naturally.
The Kansas Metropolis “Winter Soulstice”album release concert is at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17 on theFolly Theater, 300 W. twelfth St., Kansas Metropolis, Missouri 64105.
