Janelle Monique

“It's sweeter than the ripest fruits that graze the tip of my tongue”, sings urban-jazz / Latin vocalist Janelle Monique upon the completion of her debut album You Go To My Head – this being her long-awaited debut to those who know her voice as part of bands Plan C (Latin-alternative), Methodology (R&B/funk), Babes In Jazzland (jazz), and once a part of King Sunshine (house), and KC Roberts & the Raw Blue (funk/rock/hip-hop).
Janelle is marked by her extraordinary ability to immerse herself in a musical idiom, capture its essence, then drawing from her colourful musical palette, deliver it with a flavour of her own. Music flows through her veins with such vigor that she can be singing in English, Spanish or Portuguese and be able to passionately convey the beauty of each lyric. It is her love for languages, traveling, and of course music, that inspired You Go To My Head; and this album sizzles like a tenderloin steak left outside on a scorching summer's day. It is therefore surprising its conception occurred amid the Canadian winter of early 2007. It is further surprising that this vegetarian chanteuse would provoke the juxtaposition of her music and, well, meat (however succulent); nevertheless, she appeals to the masses...
As a first generation Canadian, born and raised in Toronto, Janelle was exposed to diverse styles of music from an early age which later led to an appreciation of artists across the spectrum from Jann Arden to Beady Belle, Claudia Acuña, Kurt Elling and Amel Larrieux. Her Dominican parents enrolled her in classical piano lessons at the age of seven. It wasn't too long before she adopted a passion for dance, then singing. Her tenacity and dedication later led her to graduate with honours as a vocal major from Toronto's renowned Humber College Jazz Program. Excelling in both arranging and performing at Humber she was honoured with the Vocal Award and the Metal Works Studios Award. Since then she has traveled around the world captivating audiences performing in festivals, night clubs, theatres and hotels; and her music has been featured on Canada's premier jazz radio station Jazz.FM 91 and CBC's Radio One.
Even though she is a proficient composer, Janelle decided to make her debut album one of breathtaking renditions of classic tunes. After returning from a cruise ship stint as resident performers, she and Chilean-born saxophonist/composer Oliver Miguel committed to creating You Go To My Head from the arrangements to the production of the entire album. They called upon the help of musician friends she had been performing with over the past couple of years. An imaginative idealist, Janelle wanted to merge warmth, vibrant sounds and sensuality with the styles of Latin, soul and jazz. Although named You Go To My Head, after the popular jazz standard, it is far from a traditional jazz album. Inspired by the tune's impression of vulnerability and submission to love, she so dubbed this collection of choice standards as a testament to her life-long submission to music.
From the lavish ballads to the fiery up-tempos, You Go To My Head sweeps you off your feet. Off the top, you are awakened by a rhythmic salsa - “Misty”, but an in-your-face desperate plea for love, this version is bold in tone as Janelle sings with conviction, “LOOK AT ME...” Kansas' classic “Dust In The Wind” soars with the sounds of acoustic guitars and Janelle's rich timbre lifts you and carries you to where the tune opens up into a vibrant fiesta, ringing with the sounds of Africa and the Caribbean, reminding us that life is to be lived. A more somber, almost mystical tone emerges with Oliver Miguel's arrangement of Sting's “Fragile”. The album's title track “You Go To My Head” is a smooth and sexy bolero/cha-cha. Janelle's majestic arrangement of Burt Bacharach's “Don't Make Me Over” exudes power and soul. The contemporary spin on “For The Love Of You” ignites this sultry interpretation of the Isley Brothers classic. R&B meets jazz in “'Round Midnight”, a duet with vocalist Jessie Roy, and it burns with aggression and slick grooves.
Janelle Monique's You Go To My Head takes you on a journey with many twists and turns along the way. Armed with a debut album, Janelle Monique will continue to share her music around the globe.