REVIEWS //

“A great debut from June April! A spiritual singer/songwriter, but one who comes across with plenty of straight soul appeal as well! June's really got it all going on here - able to slide into a compelling soul tune at one minute, then serve up a mellower ballad the next - all with vocals that clearly have strong influences going back in a variety of genres, but which are fused together nicely with June's own sense of confidence and poise. There's a bit more Jazz here than usual - which gives the record a nicely sophisticated feel and the production is also pretty full and rich too, with a more focused sound than just the usual blend of beats and keys.”

–Dusty Groove America

"The Garden of Thought (from Stefon Harris', In A Cloud of Red Dust") is dreamy - with its birds and bells and a Satterfield-like turn by vocalist June "April" Gardner..."

–Judith Schlesinger, 52ndstreet.com

“Inspirational Spiritual Jazz album, brilliantly produced by Teddy Crockett which spans Soul, Jazz and Gospel has some great live instrumentation but the main focus is on April's beautiful crystal clear voice. Of her originals, 'Tick Tock' is a jazzy soul track with some nice trumpet backing reminiscent of Badu and Fertile Ground. 'What I Am' is a big production (Jazzy Gospel), and 'Fear Vs Faith' is pure Spiritual Jazz with scat vocals and the excellent band really stretching out, whilst 'Weeping Mary' is more freer but still very together. Of the Afro- American Spirituals, the breezy and jazzy 'At The Cross' and 'Ready' work best. This album has elements of the kind of thing that appeared on Black Jazz/Strata East in the 70's and makes a refreshing change from today's more formulated music, and what a voice!!”

- Soul Brother Records UK

"Recommended listening is "In the Garden of Thought", especially June "April" Gardner's vocal..."

–John Barrett Jr, JazzReview.com

"The Track is "Tick, Tock", and June April showers a flood of Jazz vocals in the style of Etta James and with the inspiration of Ecclesiastes 3:1-6."

–Stan North, Gospelflava.com

"June April is the Real Deal: her jazz fluency, urban contemporary sophistication, and deep spirtually, are evident in her compelling compositions that swing and sing in a variety of moods and grooves - from bop-like scats to her deeply devotional lyrics. It doesn't matter if it's the Saturday Night Function or the Sunday Church Service ... June April has it all covered."

–Eugene Holley, Jr., Amazon.com/ Philadelphia Weekly

"Sassy, sexy, and smart, with a voice a clear as a church bell: June April's vibe is heavenly. Her positive message merges easily with oh-so-hip production, and the result is an inspirational take on jazz coolness that will get your head nodding and fill your heart with promise. My favorite track on June's CD What Am I is "Tick Tock". It offers smooveness for the grooveheads, chops for the purists, and lyrical grace for those who seek meaning in their music.It's an honor to air her songs on The Groove Boutique!"

-Rafe Gomez CD101.9/ WQCD NYC affiliate
Host/DJ - The Groove Boutique nationally syndicated cool jazz mix show

"Familiar hymns with a new delivery. A fusion of jazz and traditional spirituals. Real Music, real life, real essence. Something new on the block."

-CD Baby.com

 

“Fantastic vocals, great band. This CD wasn't done just during a coffee break. June April is a GREAT singer and she also has something to say musically. Two words to try to sum up my impressions: Inspiration. Respect.”

-Peder Karlsson, The Real Group, Stockholm, Sweden

 

“Gospel music is proving to be a durable artistic genre as one of the few areas of music showing growth. That’s something Rap, Rock and Pop can’t claim as steep drop-offs in sales plague most of the industry. Due in part to Gospel’s ability to thrive as both a medium of art and ministry, it has placed secular listeners and people of faith together in the same musical pews.Jazz and Gospel, while stylistically compatible in modern music, do also seem like aesthetically ‘strange bedfellows’. After all, some of Jazz’s finest moments have come alive in the less-than-hallowed ground, of late-night, smoke-filled clubs, with plenty of hard liquor flowing. (Not exactly the place a high-minded believer would frequent.) And many times played by genius musicians that would never be mistaken for saints.

 

“However, musical trailblazers as different as Duke Ellington and Take 6 have helped forge a critical direction for Christian music by driving it through a Jazz landscape. While it’s no news that ‘church girls’ can sing, Harlem’s own June April takes up a different mantle than most of her ‘soul-sangin’ sisters’. She brings the “Good News” using another African-American musical tradition. The independently-produced CD, “What Am I?”, is Neo-Soulful Jazz with a higher calling. June April with the help of Indie Soul’s “go-to” producer, Teddy Crockett, takes you on an eclectic pilgrimage made up of original songs and spirituals using Soul, Jazz, R&B balladry, Spoken Word, and Traditional Gospel. She gets your soul ‘head-nodding’ and soul searching on the cuts “Tick, Tock” and “Ready”. By contrast, on “Somebody’s Knockin’ at Your Door”, you’re doing the old time church stomp in the aisle (shaking your tambourine, of course). June April’s soothing scatwork on “At the Cross” almost makes you forget that you’re being pastored to. What am I is a diverse, yet coherent musical statement that highlights June April’s faith, vocal technique, and on the final (live) cut, disarming sense of humor. It is a project that makes strong cases for concurrent play on both Gospel and Jazz radio stations.”

 

- By Les Clarke, Soultracks.com