Upcoming Women of Baltimore

I am so fortunate to live in such a vibrant city for music. I like to brag about our music scene to folks all over the country. We have many bands and artists who have signed to major or mid-major labels. Beach House, Wye Oak, Future Islands, Dan Deacon, J. RoddyWalston, and Lower Dens to name a few. We have lots of label reps and A and R people who come to Baltimore looking for new talent to sign. I have written about some of these bands named above in these pages. I have also done some previous posts about some upcoming Baltimore bands that you should know about in this blog. Today I am going to feature three women who are all amazing in their own style.

Sandy Robson goes by her stage name Letitia VanSant when she is performing. She does country flavored Americana with a voice that will melt you. She works with her talented band The Bonifides that produce sounds that warm the heart and heightens her lyrics. She has released one full length album, Breakfast Truce, which shows her true range and talent. She is in the process of putting her second release into the world and the songs I have heard, that will be on it, are very strong. She is a peace activist and a lot of her songs talk about the world and making it a better place. Her music also will look deeply and passionately into the lives of folks who struggle. Her songs show a wide range of emotions but are always delivered with her angelic voice. Enjoy "Brother Left the Mine"

Cara Kelly also has a powerful voice, one that is much different than Letitia's. Cara’s voice comes from the gut. It is bluesy, soulful, and powerful. The minute she sings, she gets your attention. Cara also has assembled a great backing band The Tell Tale Heart (what did you expect, we are from Baltimore). This group of talented musicians is strong in bringing out that guttural sound of Cara and they heighten the power and passion that moves their audience to the beat of their own drummer. Cara has released an EP titled The Unexpected in 2012 and is also working on her first full length album that should be out this year. Many of us in Baltimore are eagerly awaiting its release. Enjoy "Free"

Shelby Blondell is a real newcomer to the scene. I first heard this singer/songwriter with a twist opening for the Wild Feathers a few months ago. I tell people over and over that you need to see all the bands on a bill, for you never know when you might hear an opener blow you away. The minute Shelby started singing the audience went from drinking and talking to listening attentively. This does not happen often but Shelby commands the stage with her voice. It is sort of between Letitia and Cara vocally which is appealing. She is very young (20 years old) but has already opened for people like Howie Day and the Wild Feathers. Shelby is currently a student by day and musician by night. When not in school she focuses on her music which is what she wants to do. I feel she has the talent to do it. Shelby has released an EP Fly last year and is getting ready to record a full length sometime in the near future. Here is "Dancing in the Rain"

The three things that put these three women together is their talent, voices and songwriting ability. It is great to be in Baltimore and watch their growth.  I feel each of these artists has the passion and talent to do things outside of Baltimore. For now we are fortunate to have them playing here. If you enjoy them please visit their websites and purchase their music.