Sylvia Powell

www.myspace.com/sylviapowell www.sylviapowellmusic.com Sylvia Powell’s songs will take you to familiar places - and some new ones too. Her voice invites comparisons with Sade, Joan Armatrading and Nina Simone, while listening closely to her songs you’ll hear echoes of Paul Simon, Nick Drake and Carole King, melded to her own style. Sylvia grew up in a music-filled house in Bedford, and from an early age was exposed to a diverse mix of timeless Tamla Motown classics, the lyricism of Burt Bacharach, atmospherics of Pink Floyd, and phrasing to perfection of Ella Fitzgerald. Surrounded by music, she naturally progressed to singing in local bands and writing songs. Sylvia then moved to London to study, and to advance her musical career. After completing a degree in politics, she worked days in a King’s Road boutique, whilst her nights were spent writing, singing and expanding her musical vocabulary. A buzz grew around Sylvia’s music and after an A&R frenzy she eventually signed to Deconstruction, where she was a label-mate, somewhat incongruously, of Kylie Minogue. Her first album Revue was partly co-written with Rob Davis, before he broke through with Can’t get you out of my head for Kylie. The album attracted lavish critical praise from the likes of Music Week, who called it “a classy collection of tracks which takes in a myriad of folk, funk and R&B influences”, and Q Magazine, who described it as “a fresh, sparky debut”. Following the demise of Deconstruction, Sylvia took some time out to take stock of her life. She back-packed through South America, Europe and South-East Asia, an experience she describes as one of the most important and fulfilling in her life. Back in the UK and back doing what she does best, Sylvia has made a sumptuous new album, The Script. She describes The Script as “a realization of our ability to re-write our destinies” and by writing and producing the album herself, Sylvia has not only taken control of her own destiny, but emerged as a songwriter approaching the peak of her powers. The songs are confident and mature, fresh yet timeless. They borrow from different genres including folk, jazz, adult contemporary pop-rock and soul, but maintain a recognizable continuity. Sylvia’s voice is versatile and expressive, at times vulnerable, melancholy and defiant, but always soulful. Not only is The Script self-written and produced, but remarkably it is also self-financed. But this hasn’t stopped Sylvia recruiting a stellar list of collaborators including Yvonne John Lewis (Zero 7), Winston Blissett (Massive Attack) and David Ogilvy (acclaimed Alt Country artist and writer). The album was recorded at Ray Davis’ Konk studios and mixed by Phil Bodger who has previously worked with Imogen Heap and Bebel Gilberto. The end result of such a lengthy process is a triumph. The Script has confirmed Sylvia Powell as a classic songwriter for contemporary times.