Brand new Wah Wah signing Bev Lee Harling’s love of music and cooking combine in the Kitchen Sink Band where chopping boards, cheese graters, glass orchestras, colanders and a dog bowl are used along with music boxes, a musical saw and a 1950’s typewriter to create a musical, organic experience. Sometimes dark, sometimes frivolous, always engaging and human spirited, her songs common bond being the luscious, pure vocals that thread their way through the highs and lows of life experience.
Bev’s debut album, recorded in Berlin with Rogall, of Micatone fame, combines her culinary dalliances with a generous helping of soul, folk and a sprinkle of electronica to cook up an original and hearty feast. From the life-affirming “Post” to the bossa flavoured “Private Life Of A Puppet”, via the sultry sauce of “I’m Not That Girl” and the Southern fried blues of “Devil’s On Your Tail”, Bev Lee Harling caters for every palate.
Check Bev out live (she’s something else)!
“Album of the week!” Gilles Peterson, BBC 6Music (UK)
“I really love Bev’s voice and generally like her unique sound! I’m really into Same Story, Canary & Sunlight especially. She really does have a great sound that stands out & grabs me!” DJ Format (UK)
“Robots and Angels” is dope!” Gueray Uysal, Mercedes Benz Mixtape (Germany)
“A luscious mix of lounging soul, pots n pans percussion and kitchen sink drama.” Wrongtom, Big Dada / Tru Thoughts (UK)
“A stunning alliance of Norah Jones jazz-pop excursions meeting Amy Winehouse retro-cool nostalgia-diving, Bev Lee Harling deserves to be 2012’s next big thing.” Hearhearmusic.com
Full review here
“Incredible voice. A breath of fresh or bottled pre-40s smoggy but audibly authentic air, depending on what side of the fence you’re grazing on. ‘Buy Me’ has you from the get-go with the “boom tsk, boom tsk” reverberating through your plug hole canals.” DJ Baz (Funk 45s, Dublin)
“Excellent album… sweet like a Darjeeling first flush.” Walter, Really Swing Records
“Loving Bev Lee Harling’s debut album at the moment. This is the full package; great voice, lyrics and music. I wouldn’t be surprised if you heard these songs on adverts for the rest of the year. Great stuff!” Pimpernel Jones, Herma Puma, First Word (UK)
“Been looking forward to this to drop since the single, So happy it doesn’t disappoint, great, great album!” King Tee (Ireland)
“Thanks for giving delicious music every time! Lovely voice, delicate sounds and catchy melodies. I’ll play Private Life of a Puppet, I’m Not That Girl, Canary, Barefoot In Your Kitchen and Post. The album cover is amazing!” Cesare Cera, Irma Records (Italy)
“Great album – she’s really got her own sound which is refreshing to hear on a debut. Another Wah Wah surefire winner! Full support!” DJ Gilla, First Word (UK)
“Wow another timless album comes out from your wonderfull Wah Wah label…i have to check it out a little more this one…..
“Very nice album and very nice artist ! Good luck with it !!” Ralf Zitzmann, Agogo Records (Germany)
“Wah Wah 45 have just released an interesting album by Bev Lee Harling, not strickly speaking something that fits easy into eclectic jazz but worth of a mention none the less. ‘Barefoot In Your Kitchen’ quirky electronics, folk melodies and cheeky 50s kitsch combine to make an enchanting whimsical journey led by Harling’s deceptively innocent and quaint vocals.” Phil Levene, Eclecticjazz.com (UK)
“I will support in beginning of May.” Josef Sedlon, Radio 1 (Czech)
“Simply beautiful! I really hope she’ll get the public attention she deserves. An outstanding debut album!” DJ Kinski (Germany)
“Nice album! Perfect for my radio!” Hector Pizarro, Chile Con Mix (France)
“Thanks for the album, it’s been on rotation this week, I am loving it!” DJ Kappa (Brighton)
“So so lovely….will defo hammer it !!!” Markus Miltz, Further In Fusion (Germany)
Support from Jazz FM (UK); “Private Life Of A Puppet” & “Robots And Angels” played on Gilles Peterson’s show on BBC 6Music (UK); “Buy Me” on Gary Crowley, BBC London (UK); Dave Bassin, Freefall, KUSF, San Fransisco (USA); “Devil’s On Your Tail” played on Higher Club, Red Bull Music Academy Radio (Spain); “Robots And Angels” played by Toshio Matsuura, Radio Tokyo Moon, InterFM, Tokyo / Yokohama (Japan); “Robots And Angels” played on The Jazzmadass Radioshow, Radio X, Frankfurt (Germany); “Private Life of a Puppet” played by Josef Sedlon on Radio 1 (Czech)
Her second single on Wah Wah 45s, “Post”, comes on the back of her album being hailed as nothing less than “simply brilliant” by Gilles Peterson on BBC6 Music, who also made it his Album of the Week in mid-June. It’s a delightful, life-affirming love song featuring happy-go-lucky guitars and a chorus of kazoos!
Label mate Scrimshire weighs in with a little nod to Bjork (a firm favourite of both artists) with his Scrimshire & Isobel Remix, featuring a glass orchestra and a serious bass-line, before things calm right down for Bev’s beautiful duet with her favourite music box, rounding things off perfectly for a lady who’s gaining an army of fans at every festival she plays at this summer.
Check Bev out live!
24/08 – Towersey Festival
25/08 Shambala Festival
27-28/09 Wiltons Music Hall
“I thought you’d be pleasantly surprised to know I really like the Scrimshire & Isobel Remix and the Music Box Version which is unusual for me because I usually prefer the original mixes of songs..but this time I really like these other mixes as they seem to suit the vocals better (in my humble opinion)!” DJ Format (UK)
“Superb ! I like a lot, the music box version is delicious!” Azaax (Tru Thoughts / France)
“Really cool remix!!! I,ll start to play it today in my shows on Ibiza Global Radio. Just supporting beautiful music!” Jose Maria Ramon (Ibiza Global Radio, Ibiza)
“A very pleasant curve ball signing for Wah Wah, not what I might have expected, but absolutely marvelous. My mellow moments need not be silent with Bev around, so good work Wah Wah, something to go overground maybe?” Pete Isaac (Jelly Jazz, UK)
“Scrimshire’s mix is the one for me. Nice work!” DJ Gilla (First Word, UK)
“I love the Scrimshire version. I can’t get the image of a giggling Bev splashing her feet at the side of the pool singing to the boys at the other side. They’re all tapping their coke bottes along to her dulcit tones with massive big smiles on their faces.” DJ Baz Hickey (Ireland)
“I love that Scrimshire remix! Very outstanding.” DJ Kinski (Germany)
“Love the remix, delicate but firm!” Antonino Musco (Party934 Radio, NYC, USA)
“Love the Music Box Version. Music can be so simple.” DJ M.Path.IQ (!K7, Germany)
“Cool stuff!” DJ Alan Skov (Copenhagen, Denmark)
“Just awesome versions! Damn, live them. I’ll play the two versions on 07.07.2012 and 21.07.2012 at the “45 RPM” radio show (http://www.mixcloud.com/Soulmate/).” DJ Dobo Marzov (Bulgaria)
“Scrimshire (and Isobel) deliver an interesting remix. I will support that remix as it will make for a nice relaxing show opener…” DJ Nelito (Radio play on Power FM, Holland)
“Scrimshire & Isobel remix is fantastic !!!” Markus Milz (Further In Fusion, Germany)
“Scrimshire Remix for me!” Hector Pizarro (Chile Con Mix, France)
“I can already hear the music box remix on soundtracks and adds … Dreamy , kooky , quirky … and sweet … The girls will love it …” DJ Toon (Australia)
Great radio interview with Peter Curtin, Spin South West Radio
Her third single on Wah Wah 45s, “Robots and Angels”, rounds off what’s been a landmark year from this young lady, with a run of festivals and gigs that ranged from playing to a packed house at The Hootananny in Brixton to supporting new folkers Bellowhead at The Towersey Festival this summer. She’s been described as “simply brilliant” by Gilles Peterson on BBC6Music, who also made it his Album of the Week earlier this year. This final single from the much loved debut album, “Barefoot In Your Kitchen”, is a pseudo-festive delight complete with Bev’s trademark ‘instruments’ including a drill, zippers and the culinary untensil naturally.
Remixes come courtesy of one of our faourite producers of the moment, Claws For?, who recently worked his magic with Scrimshire’s “Alignment” and here again takes us straight to the dance floor with a sturdy disco/house re-boot. Neapolitan producer, and main man behind the excellent Really Swing imprint, Quiroga delivers a quirky, low slung remix that’s a bit of a favourite here at Wah Wah Towers.
Festive greetings one and all. We hope you enjoy!
“Robots and Angels is dope!” Gueray Uysal, Mercedes Benz Mixtape (Germany)
“She really does have a great sound that stands out & grabs me!” DJ Format (UK)
“I’ll add Quiroga’s remix to our rotation. Thank you for the music!” Julien Mourlon, Laid Back Radio (Belgium)
“OMG… Absolutely amazing track and mixes. Deserves to be a smash! Played on SOAS show yesterday and instantly got a bunch of positive FB messages!” Chris Greenwood, Bonanza Music / SMS Festival Croatia / SOAS Radio (UK)
“That Bev Lee Harling track is heat!” Jason Pulaski, KUCI 88.9FM / Ubiquity (USA)
“Claws For? does it again with a fantastic remix – i hope there’s music from Claws For? very soon!!!!! Of course features on this week’s show!!” Simon Harrison, Basic Soul (UK)
“Amazing…Original is lovely, Quiroga mix is eclectic as usual, and rework from Claws For? is already a classic” Cesare Cera, Black Mighty Wax / Irma (Italy)
“Very nice!” Chris Read, BBE / Breakin Bread (UK)
“Love the remixes, playing the Quiroga on the radio right now!” Antonino Musco, Party 934 Radio (USA)
“Bloody heck! Niceness! Love the Claws For? mix.” Ross Wakefield, Part-Time Heroes (UK)
“Many thanks for the latest promo-link! 2 very nice remixes on this release. My top favourite is the CLAWS FOR? remix, followed by the QUIROGA mix.” Sven Thomschke / ‘Dr.Best’ www.radio-z.net (Germany)
“Very nice track indeed… All about the Claws For mix, right up my street. This will be getting my support.” Jonny Reckless (Colourful Radio, UK)
“Nice tracks,full support!” Hector Pizarro, Chilli Con Mix (France)
“Wicked tune from BLH, can’t get enough of this. Great remixes too. Quality release.” Mickey Duke, Mile Wide Smile Club, Radio 4A (UK)
“Great to see my favourite track from the album being single released, superb remixes too!” Georgios Paroglou, It’s Just Music! (Greece)
“Blogged here: http://funkybites.
I’ll play one of the remixes (I played the original some time ago) this Saturday at the ’45 RPM’ radio show.” Dobo Marzov, 45 RPM Radio Show (Bulgaria)
“Lovely as ever!” DJ Gilla, First Word (UK)
“Thanks very much for this. Will be playing the claws for remix for weeks and weeks-AWESOME!” Raj Selli, Solar Radio (UK)
“Great vibe thanks! Will play and support.” Alex Attias (Switzerland)
“Yay…Claws For? did it again for me…huge !!!!” Marcus Milz, Further In Fusion (Germany)
“Wonderful stuff, thanks! Loving the way you’re finding organic ways of keeping the jazzy soulful groovy vibes you’re so identified with up to date and sounding fresh. Great song, and very good two interesting remixes. Brilliant.” DJ Roni Fialkow (Israel)
“Found this download on my pc this week. Excellent single! Loving all three versions – the original, Claws for? and Quiroga remixes! Each has a great vibe and each has their own individual sound and can be used for different sets. I like when the pack is like that and not everything sounding only slightly different. Great job. I will be supporting on my show, now which one to use… 😀 Thanks for the release.” DJ Nelson Ramalho (UK)
Radio play from Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music, UK); Raj Selli (Solar Radio, UK) and Jason Pulaski (KUCI 88.9FM, USA)
Having wowed tastemakers across the board with her debut album, “Barefoot In Your Kitchen”, in 2012 (Gilles Peterson made it his Album of the Week a year ago) saucy songstress and culinary linguist Bev Lee Harling returns with a one-off single covering one of her favourite songs of all time.
The Peggy Lee classic, “Why Don’t You Do Right?”, was recorded by many artists in the 1950’s and 60’s, including Della Reese, whose version provided the inspiration for this take, but seemed to have become a bit of a forgotten gem for contemporary recording artists, until now that is.
This limited edition 7-inch release features a pair of cracking mixes from two of Europe’s finest production outfits with an ear for a classic tune and a touch of jazz.
Italy’s Suonho has found fame recently with his tasteful edits, on-point remixes and his recent re-versions of Brazilian classics. Here he takes Bev’s interpretation to the dance floor with a bass heavy four-to-the-floor mix that will please jazz and house heads alike.
On the flip, our very own Colman Brothers are back, adding a little of their trademark ‘Cha Cha’ magic to Bev’s sassy vocals, and creating a mid-tempo shuffler that should please fans of both them and the lady herself!
The original vocal version is also available via an accompanying digital package, and should help stave off the hunger for more Bev Lee Harling material until her new album drops in early 2014.
“I really, really like this!” Gilles Peterson, BBC 6Music (UK)
“I really love Bev’s voice and generally like her unique sound! She really does have a great sound that stands out & grabs me!” DJ Format (UK)
“A luscious mix of lounging soul, pots’n’pans percussion and kitchen sink drama.” Wrongtom, Tru Thoughts (UK)
“This is incredible! Bev has a lovely voice and the music is amazing..A modern day take on Eleanor Rigby?!” Jake Wherry, The Herbaliser (UK)
“Colman Brothers remix is outstanding!” Renegades Of Jazz (Wass Recordings, Germany)
“A very nice, super slinky update on the Lil Green classic” Nick Luscombe, BBC Radio 3/ Flomotion (UK)
“Can’t stop playing the Suonho remix. Love it !!!!” Big Budd (Jungle legend, UK)
“What can I say about this brilliant artist? She’s able to give new life to this song with a unique style! Also, the remixes are amazing!” Cesare Cera (Black Mighty Wax, Italy)
“Splendid stuff. Bang into the remixes. The Colman Brothers remix has a nice Caro Emerald vibe to it. Full support!” Diesler (UK)
“I love Bev Lee’s voice, full of soul and so gentle, great release..Wah Wah 45’s forever.” DJ Niksa Dragolin (Radio Eurostar, 101.7FM, Croatia)
“Spine tingling! – All the mixes are great, a rarity nowadays…” Pimpernel Jones (Herma Puma, First Word UK)
“Very nice release ! i like the Suonho mix the most… and great artwork as well!” Ralf Zitzmann (Agogo Records, Germany)
“This is probably my favourite thing from Bev. Great original version and well chosen mixes. Tight work!” DJ Gilla (First Word, UK)
“A great release from Bev Lee Harling – my top favourite is Suonho’s version, directly followed by the Colman Brothers Cha Cha Remix.” Sven Thomschke / ‘Dr.Best’ (Radio Z, Germany)
“All three versions on this release are ace, Ms Harling’s voice is amazing on all three!” Georgios Paroglou (It’s Just Music! Greece)
“Why Don’t You Do Right? is not a question I can ever pose to Bev Lee Harling – the girl can do no wrong. Suonho dishes up dessert on the flip side with this fresh cut complete with jazz house trimmings to accompany Bev’s syrupy vocals while maintaining the integrity of the original composition.” Baz Hickey (Boogie An Domhain/Set It Off, Dublin, Ireland)
“Thanks you! I’ll be playing this at the Esperanza Spalding show in Calgary in June. Nice work by Suonho as well, the man has class.” DJ Tom Mannix (Canada)
“This is great, a really well done version, love that stripped-back sound of souly vocals and strings, the 2 remixes are really good also will probably end up playing all three versions in the coming weeks, wicked stuff !!” Michael Shea (Kane FM, UK)
“If Bernard Herman had scored this jazz classic for a Hitchcock thriller comedy … surely this would have been the result.!! Typical understated cheeky strings and delivered with a smoothness, I have come to expect from this jazzy classy lassy !!! Love it …” DJ Toon (Australia)
“Wow what a fantastic release! Such a fantastic cover from Bev who’s vocals are spot on! Covers are always tough to do as when they don’t work they either come out sounding too far off from the original or very cheesy. I feel Bev has really “made it her own” as they say and I really like her take on the track. Well done, great stuff!
I am really loving the Gotan Project style remix from The Colman Brothers! Suonho remix has such a wicked sound (big bass!) to it and is definitely my favourite of this package but all three are great. Great job as always! I’m looking forward to supporting these on my shows.” DJ Nelson Ramalho (UK)
“All very very good – Suonho just edges it for me though. Great voice, great track.” DJ John Cush (UK)
“Pretty nice!!!” Markus Milz (Further In Fusion, Germany)
Radio play from Andrew Jervis (Bandcamp); Roni Fialkow (Pop Lock show, InvaderFM); Higher Club (Spain); Jason Pulaski (KUCI 88.9FM, USA); Mans Stromberg (Radio Helsinki, Finland); Toshio Matsuura (Radio Tokyo Moon, InterFM, Tokyo / Yokahama, Japan); Up’n’Loud Radio (Greece / Germany) http://musica-re.blogspot.gr/2013/06/summer-2013-airplay.html; Kane FM (UK); Andy Williams, The Goods Radio Show, 90.3fm (Montreal, Canada);
Radio Z playlists
