Published October 2000 

RACHEL FERRELL
Life, Love & Individuality

One of the biggest problems posed by categorization, a theme right up there with death and taxes, is that it inevitably leaves little room for individuality. For example, where do you put an accomplished singer/songwriter/pianist with a vocal range spanning six octaves of both beauty and power, and who has managed (on the success of two albums alone) nearly eight years of international touring? Where do you put a woman who's shared company with such jazz greats as George Duke, Quincy Jones, and the immortal Dizzy Gillespie, while receiving much praise from contemporary r&b stars like Deborah Cox, Angie Stone, and Isaac Hayes? Where do you put an artist who's managed, in spite of such insurmountable talent and achievement, to retain a sense of calm and humility unheard of in today 's boisterous musical climate? Where do you put Rachelle Ferrell?

After completing her first album on Capital Records in '92 (now a staple on "quiet storm" radio), followed by the 1995 domestic release of her five year old jazz document First Instrument on Blue Note, Ferrell found herself in the interesting position of having two stylistic doors completely open to her. But with many external and opposing interests fighting to shape and control her, this Philadelphia native was almost ready to put her unparalleled vocal skills back on the shelf and simply forgo a v ery promising recording career. However, rather than allow herself be torn down by a vicious, unrepentant music industry, she instead took some much needed time out to find exactly where she needed to be, both inside and out.

Now, with the strength of experience Rachelle returns with her third offering, aptly titled Individuality (Can I Be Me), a sort of musical biography detailing her travels through both love and life, and the challenge of finding herself.

"Finding out who I am, it's a right of passage, you know?", says Ferrell, speaking to this writer in a New York City hotel on her publicity tour. "That's the infinite question: `Who Am I?' and it's something that we all experience at som e point or other in our lives. There was a time where I used to look back and say that there were outside circumstances that were stressing me, and m y initial reaction was to rebel. T ha t was my conditioned response. But as more and more things popped up in different areas of my life, I began to delve a little deeper and discover that it was all of my creation, because we mirror outside ourselves what's going on inside. "

Freeing herself from those limitations, Ferrell has found a new outlet for self-expression in Individuality. As the writer of nearly half the album's songs, and in taking such a hands on approach in much of the music (many times providing her own back-up, with the help of Kenn y Latimore on two selections), there's no mistaking the extent to which Rachelle has gone to give herself to her audience.

Lyrically, she tells stories of life after love. Songs like `I Forgive You" and "I Gotta Go" show the myriad of feelings that accompany the end of a relationship and the realization not only that life must go on, but that you must as well. "Sista" speaks of the insight and in spiration gained from friends. But the most significant current running throughout the entire project is that individuality. It's these key elements that Rachelle has set out to teach, not only her undying audience, but also herself.

"This last project, I've written more from a personal stance than any other," she explains. "I think it was written first and for most for myself. At the time that the maj ority of the songs were written, I didn't kno w if I was going to record them. They were just for m y personal growth and healing. On a second level though, the songs were sort of ` parable-like ' so that everybody could understand and bene fit from my experience as well , so we don't have to have our brothers and sisters banging their heads on the same rocks that I banged mine."

While the quality of her words alone is enough to instill inspiration in even the most tortured soul, those words act only as a conduit the unparalleled vocal ability of this Berkley College graduate. Rachelle's command of her vocal instrument (as it is so often termed), whether calling out past foes in an intense no-nonsense growl, or singing sweet melodies high above the known limits of tonal expression, leaves musicians swe ating and listeners exhausted. Accompanied by the renowned production talents of George Duke, who has insured an album stripped down to it barest musical essentials, Rachelle is allowed all the space needed to express herself fully and comfortably. It was the lack of these two elements that kept her out on stage and away from the studio for so long.

"One of the reasons why this experience was so intimidating was because I had been on the road for such a long time touring, pretty much non-stop for the la st eight years," she explains. "I had gotten pretty comfortable with live applications as opposed to studio things. The s tudio's very different from live in a lot of different ways, and it requires a different type of approach for you to be able to pull it off well. It's like you're in a vacuum, and you feel like you're a specimen on display in a zoo, you know? Everyone can see you but you can't see anybody else."

For anyone who has experienced her live performances , it's quite easy to see why Rachelle longs for the stage. There's an energy, a feeling of release for both performer and fan, and that special connection between the two that just doesn't transpire at home, or in the car on the way to work. Still, the pleasure one feels after receiving her recorded message is a suitable substitute for those who haven't yet had the chance to see her live .

In the past, it was a combination of her natural, down-to-earth style, coupled with her incredible musicianship that most allowed fans to relate. On Individuality, Rachelle is banking on knowledge and experience to please those who have supported her for nearly a decade. And if the support of her fans witnessed at a recent New York showcase is any indication, her time away has done nothing but add yearning to the growing list of emotions felt by her supporters a feeling she knows all about.