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Internationally acclaimed vocalist Kelli Sae is not new to the limelight. And, she’s not blinded by it, either. As the former lead vocalist for global jazz/funk collectives, Incognito, Count Basic and Defunkt, she has seen the world and worked with world class musicians.| |It is a masala of sounds, cultures and influences that informs Kelli Sae’s eclectic musical instincts. Raised with the blood of a Puerto Rican mother, and African American father, and Native American grandparents, she says of her childhood soundscape, “It ranged from Spanish classics like Tito Puente and Celia Cruz to Barbara Streisand to James Brown and Motown. Then the Black Rock Coalition (BRC) became a major influence.”| |Put all of these instruments, rhythms and beats together and you have a sound that is strictly Kelli Sae. R&B purists will instantly hear the wet sensuality of Minnie Ripperton and the audacious sexuality of Marvin and The Isley Brothers. And one can’t miss the strong dose of electronica and Latin heat sprinkled throughout. It is the unmistakable Kelli Sae vibe that keeps her sound whimsical, fresh and boundless. Who else but a warrior would cover the 1967 Jefferson Airplane psychedelic classic, White Rabbit? “A brown girl doing rock,” that’s who.| | It’s the originality of the lyrics and the boundless energy that takes Pure to a new level in the disposable age of shameless imitation. She says, “I want to be the person who determines what my musical lifespan will be.” |
