Chatting with Angela McCluskey, the voice that is heard everywhere!

 By Anita Stewart, Tampa Correspondent for Rock at Night and Yes She Rocks

Rock at Night spoke with Angela McCluskey, songwriter extraordinaire with an unmistakable voice that one hears everywhere.  You might have heard her voice in TV commercials for Chico’s, Schick Quattro TrimStyle razor, US Mitsubishi, or in the popular show Grey’s Anatomy and wondered “Who is that? What a great song!”  With a background in other creative arts, she fell into music and songwriting quite naturally. We spoke about her creative process, travel, drama, art, her music, her work with other bands such as Telepopmusik, the Wild Colonials and so much more.

From retro Jazz with a Billie Holiday or Nina Simone feel to trance and dance Electronica, Retro, Reggae and danceable Pop, Angela McCluskey has traveled the world doing genre-bending vocals with many familiar names in music. Her latest album, The Roxy Sessions is available now on iTunes and will be released everywhere on September 9, 2016.

Angela’s vocal styling is impossible to define, but instantly recognizable and  reminiscent of songstresses like Corinne Bailey Rae, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Valerie June just to name a few. However, Angela has a presence all her own.

Angela’s background is a very creative one. She started out in drama, moved to the US from Scotland, and worked as a publicist with companies as notable as EMI and even had a “one woman” show! She has collaborated with many other acts, Cyndi Lauper, Elvis Costello, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Telepopmusik, the Wild Colonials, the latter being the Los Angeles band she still fronts. Her songwriting is organic, prolific and the lyrics and melodies come to her together. In her spare time, she works in other mediums and loves photography and painting.

This new album is very personal and features songs from various genres. I heard 40’s torch, 70’s type James Bondish-type movie soundtrack songs, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Jazz, Psychedelia, and Electronica–all backed with layers of rich instrumentation. Not to be missed! The ladies of Rock at Night love Angela’s music and are waiting for more! Stay tuned for Rock at Night’s review of The Roxy Sessions by Rock At Night columnist Gail Reynolds.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW  on iTUNES!