Carmel (singer)

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Carmel (born November 24, 1958 in Scunthorpe , Lincolnshire , England ) is the stage name of the British singer Carmel McCourt and at the same time the name of her band , which also includes bassist Jim Parris and drummer Gerry Darby .

History of the band

The group was founded in 1981 in Manchester . In 1982 the 6-track LP "Carmel" was released on the Red Flame label. As early as 1983 they achieved top 25 hits in the charts with their first major album "The Drum Is Everything" and the singles "Bad Day" and "More More More" that were extracted from it . In 1984 the trio received the jazz interpreter of the year award at the jazz festival in Messina, Italy . Commercial success did not materialize until the second half of the 1980s, when Carmel began to emphasize the pop side of their music more. "Sally" from the album "The Falling", one of her most successful pieces, dates from this period.

Carmel recorded the title J'oublierai ton nom in a duet with the French singer Johnny Hallyday in 1986 and took part in the Sanremo Festival in 1991 with the Italian singer Rossana Casale and the title Terra .

But even the use of producers such as Brian Eno did not bring the final breakthrough on the following album "Set me free". In 1992 the band released the album "Good News". Carmel's last studio album "World's Gone Crazy" was released in 1995 . With "Live at Ronnie Scott's", Carmel released a recording of a December 1997 concert in London in 1998 . In mid- 1999 the band finally announced their breakup.

Since 2001/2002 Carmel McCourt and Jim Parris have been playing together again as Carmel and appear regularly in Great Britain. The live DVD "More More More" is the recording of one of these concerts from 2003 (Cargo London). The last major tour took place in autumn 2006. The band had previously worked on new songs.

In 2015 a new single was released: Second Wife Blues .

Music genre

Carmel's music moves on the border between pop and jazz , but also repeatedly experiments with related styles such as soul , blues , gospel , rhythm and blues or reggae . As a live act, like her mostly perfect background choir, she was able to show off her vocal qualities with her full-sounding alto voice. The instrumentation of her pieces always had a clear affinity for jazz, as double bass , wind instruments (especially saxophone , cornet , trombones ) and percussion were used accordingly. Their music was considered " cool " in the late 1980s and was played in clubs and trendy cocktail bars, alternating with records by Sade and Matt Bianco .

Discography

Studio albums

  • 1982: Carmel
  • 1984: The Drum Is Everything
  • 1986: The Falling
  • 1987: Everybody's Got a Little ... Soul (CH: goldgold)
  • 1989: Set Me Free
  • 1992: Good News
  • 1995: World's Gone Crazy
  • 2012: Strictly Piaf

Compilations, live albums, miscellaneous

  • 1990: Collected
  • 1997: Live in Paris
  • 1998: Live at Ronnie Scott's
  • 2003: More More More (Live DVD)
  • 2005: Single (self-distribution)
  • 2010: More More More

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ Awards for music sales: CH
personal data
SURNAME Carmel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McCourt, Carmel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British singer
DATE OF BIRTH November 24, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Scunthorpe