"WHISPER MY NAME" REVIEW – APRIL 2004 DJ FAZIO at www.thejazznation.com
Thursday, April 15, 2004

The good people at www.thejazznation.com work tirelessly to support artists, management, radio, sponsors, promoters, fans, and the youths of jazz.
In 1997 President and Founder Albert Khalis Pride reached out to other jazz enthusiasts on the internet to join him in starting a group dedicated to promoting and preserving the genre of jazz. The goal is to make it the most effective grass-roots jazz support organization in the U.S. and abroad.
Each month, www.thejazznation.com publishes a unique web magazine that offers in-depth interviews with artists, producers and independent label executives, CD and concert reviews, and a list of new and upcoming CD releases. The site hosts “the jazz nation forum” and operates an online store. They also have a quarterly newsletter, "Jazz Exodus" that delivers more interviews, reviews and news with a strong emphasis on independent jazz musicians to the current membership base.
Visit www.thejazznation.com to check out this fantastic site!

The Review

She’s a voice for every woman and one that every man could listen to. Hailing from Australia, Louise Perryman sings universal emotions, bearing their smooth soul, yet revealing raw edges. Joining her are celebrated Aussie musicians: Peter Northcote (guitar), Bill Risby (piano), and on drums, Kere Buchanan (who co-wrote all but one song). Whisper My Name is Perryman’s 4th album and with it she brings a depth… an honesty, that is so refreshing! Skillfully utilizing life’s experiences, she penned all lyrics and co-wrote all tunes. The message is clear and Louise Perryman delivers it resoundingly on her latest CD Whisper My Name.

Opening with the title track, Whisper My Name, this mid-tempo number is the perfect way to begin. With anticipation and confidence, Perryman brings beautiful vocal phrasing while Northcote adds a bluesy feel on guitar. This is a melody with great repose and will dwell on your mind. Play Your Game slows the pace with a more serious tone and offers an epiphany about a relationship in question. Perryman displays a vocal range that is so effortless and her wonderful talent is furthered on the tune Stay, an emotional ballad beginning quietly, then escalating with a crescendo into chafed emotion. Strong guitar lines underscore the musical experience brilliantly on this one! Prayer For You (for Oscar), comforts with gospel elements and powerful/tender words. There’s a strength and conviction of prayer.

Perryman then gets vampy on the retro-vibed Everybody Need A Little Love. You’ll love the attitude percolating from this tune as Risby lays down some smokin’ keyboard work (reminding me of the Jeff Lorber style) while Northcote and Leon Gaer get funky on guitars and bass. The award-winning song Thinkin’ Too Much (1999 Australian Songwriters’ Association R & B Song of the Year) is such a pleasure to listen to! These lyrics have a natural rhythm and the hip guitars & scatting by John Bettison, plus keyboard solo by Brendan St. Ledger bring it all together! The tune This Is Heaven gets vulnerable. Layin’ it out there with a true expression of love, this song basks in sentiments! Perryman then concludes her impressive disc with the song, You Can’t Stop Me Now. Bold and in your face, with a big horn section to match, you won’t stop dancin’ to this one! I love it!

Perryman’s latest album, Whisper My Name, showcases original music, intelligent lyrics and performances that transcend categorization. Whether you whisper, sing, or shout it out, one thing’s for sure… you won’t forget her name. It’s Louise Perryman, and she’s all that, plus so much more!
- D.J. Fazio 

"WHISPER MY NAME" REVIEW – APRIL 2004 Patrick Van de Wiele at www.keysandchords.com
Thursday, April 15, 2004

Patrick has very kindly translated this review for me as he wrote it in Dutch. This site comes out of the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. All I can tell you is that the site looks great and my review shares a page with the likes of Norah Jones and Quincy Jones and Sky! You can visit the site at www.keysandchords.com if you are fluent in Dutch!!

The Review
Louise Perryman from Australia is not known in these parts. Some of us will categorize her as R&B, others as neo soul, or pop with a jazzy touch. Louise transcends all those musical boundaries and she does her own thing. In the USA she is called, “The white woman with the black voice” and with the release of her 4th album, she now gets the attention of soul lovers around the world. She co-wrote all the songs and has a clear voice. The title track has a mid-tempo, while ‘Play Your Game’ sounds rather relaxed as a quiet storm. ‘Everybody Need A Little Love’ is more up-tempo and ‘Stay’ is a powerful ballad. One of the highlights is ‘Thinkin’ Too Much’, which was elected by the Australian Songwriter’s Association as R&B Song of the Year. And then it’s time for the wonderful ballad ‘Prayer For You’. ‘This Is Heaven’ breathes a smooth jazz atmosphere and the album finishes with ‘You Can’t Stop Me Now’, which leans towards pop. Louise sounds sometimes soulful, sometimes full of energy and sometimes smooth as silk. She is really an artist who deserves to be internationally known. The album was produced by co-songwriter Kere Buchanan, and is for sale on her homepage.
- Patrick Van de Wiele

REVIEW FOR WHISPER MY NAME – MARCH 2004 BARRY TOWLER at www.soulexpress.net
Wednesday, March 3, 2004

"Whisper My Name" is Album of the Month for March 2004 for www.soulexpress.net!

www.soulexpress.net is one of the leading modern soul portals in the world.
Focusing on new releases in quality soul music, the site has an ever-growing world-wide audience of over 4,000 unique visitors each month. This figure has doubled in the past 12 months alone.
Based in Europe, it also provides a printed issue to subscribers (soul enthusiasts!) from 15 different countries all over the world - mainly European (Scandinavia, UK, Netherlands).

The Review

This fantastic CD had languished on my wants list for well over a year - and now Louise has re-issued the set with a 2004 imprint. Those of you who love the quality soul-jazz of Khani Cole, Marilyn Scott, DeBorah Bond and Brenda Hillman will simply be biting the hands off stockists for this CD.
Louise Perryman hails from Australia - a place not noted for anything other than Rock music - and drops a musical bombshell of 8 scorching tracks sizzling with soul, jazz, and pure sass.
This fine lady has a great set of tonsils too, and from the offset you know that Louise is in complete control of her ability, her songs and works in tight yet loose, synchronisation with her musicians, all of which do a fine job. If you are not sold on this CD within the opening dozen bars or so of track one "Whisper My Name" then I suggest you go buy some cotton wool buds. The slinky, early 80s feel to this midtempo guitar laced track will hit you right in the quality zone of your tastebuds and why i have not heard this on quality radio I really do not know. I love the funky guitar licks over the compulsive lead guitar. Worth every penny for this song alone.
"Play Your Game" drops the tempo and has a real Khani Cole edge to it - think also of the Cynthia Biggs project but with more 'real instruments' then you are part way there. Raising the tempo and slotting in some 70s organ is the refreshing "Everybody Need A Little Love". For lovers of quality MOR based tunes will soak up "Stay" which will have a very broad appeal beyond the sometimes narrow soul / jazz boundaries. Songs like this are nicely transcendental purely for being clean, uncomplicated, well executed and immaculately delivered. This is a classy, classy song, simply put. Funkier, more fluid arrangements and bluesier guitars follow up this laid back moment and facilitate Louise's smooth, creamy vocals to drape over the beats; the scat is very good indeed too.
"Prayer For You" is another track that I could imagine having a home on quality adult US radio, the guitar again is superb, even though this is not my favourite song. That said, this CD demonstrates that Louise's qualities are not so easy to pidgeon-hole or define. Moving swiftly from soulful expression to jazzier asides and reflective, quality US MOR moments this lovely Lady is inviting as much praise as she possibly can. I have no problem with this - and I think that many readers who are strictly soul fans or jazz-fusion fans will all find something to celebrate on "Whisper My Name".
Again, a winner for me is the gentle "This Is Heaven"; airy, floaty and quality. A racy, jazzy and tentatively funky song called "You Can't Stop Me Now" closes the lid on this CD - and is very good indded with its brassy horns and slight pop leaning.
A mixed set that will have wide appeal, a foundation in quality soulful jazz but with a few musical fingers in a few plums. Log onto CD Baby and check it out. Do not miss this CD.
- Barry Towler (The Lowdown, Soul Express)

REVIEW FOR WHISPER MY NAME – FEBRUARY 2004 CHRIS RIZIK at www.soultracks.com
Thursday, February 5, 2004

Here's the very latest review folks! Needless to say I am also thrilled with this one.

Soul Tracks is a leading site that is "tracking the world's greatest soul music."  It includes artist bios, "where are they now" features on classic soul stars, and introductions to great modern soul artists.

It features great artists like Patti Austin, Anita Baker, George Benson, Peabo Bryson, Bobby Caldwell, Donny Hathaway, Lalah Hathaway, India.Arie,
James Ingram, Frank McComb, Michael McDonald, Smokey Robinson and Bill Withers.
…And great soul outfits like Average White Band, Commodores, Four Tops, Isley Brothers, O'Jays, Spinners, Stylistics, Tavares and Temptations.

Soul Express Magazine has recently referred to the site as  “a highly recommended soul site especially for lovers of classy 70s and 80s soul music and classy modern soul vocalists." 

If you love soul music, you really should pay a visit to www.soutracks.com



The Review

Sometimes, it pays to open your email.  My most pleasant surprise so far this year was hearing in January from Louise Perryman, a gifted pop/soul vocalist from Australia who is getting some attention in Soul Music circles due to her new release, Whisper My Name.  Perryman has been labeled "The white woman with the black voice."  Well, I don't know what color she sounds like, but it's one that I like.  From the moment I put Whisper in my CD player, her deep, husky alto wrapped itself around song (and me) and didn't let go.  Perryman's voice is most often compared to Anita Baker, and there is truth to that comparison.  I think a closer match may be Kathy Troccoli, another underrated deep-voiced singer, though Perryman's delivery and material are richer and much more soulful.

Perryman began as a viola player and studied at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Southern Australia.  Though afterward she took a job in business, she continued to pursue her musical dreams in the evening and worked to develop her songwriting skills.  She ultimately moved to Sydney to focus on music full time.  Her first release was 1999's Come on-a My House, followed by 2000's Nowhere Near Eleven, an acoustic CD, and The Painter and the Bird, an album of covers.

Though it is her fourth album, Whisper My Name should finally introduce this talented artist to Soul Music audiences around the world.   Beginning with the midtempo title track, Whisper is like a great trip back to the sophisticated pop/soul of the mid to late 80s, the "nouveau soul" period that brought us great acts from Anita Baker to Everything But the Girl and a period where pop, soul and smooth jazz could co-exist in an amalgamated form.   It is nearly impossible to find a recent disc that attempts to straddle the adult pop/soul border, much less one that handles it as effectively as Whisper.  It is a true throwback -- a late night album for adults that relies more on melodies and expressive vocal performance than on attitude or studio trickery. 

For Whisper, Perryman has brought together a crack band of local Australian musicians who provide a solid but restrained backdrop for her vocal performance.  She also proves herself a fine songwriter, co-penning all eight songs.  Best of all, though talent surrounds Perryman on the disc, the centerpiece remains where it should -- her wonderful, clear voice.

At just over 42 minutes, Whisper is a bit short, but it has no filler and has a number of high points. "Play Your Game" is a worthy successor to Baker's "Talk To Me," and, along with the title cut, may be the album's most soulful number.  Much of the disc features more adult pop oriented tracks, including the ballads "Stay" and "Prayer For You," both nice cuts that are made better by Perryman's performance.  And the 7-minute smoky ballad "This Is Heaven" feels like a live, 2 a.m. nightclub performance.

I truly hope that there is an audience for Whisper My Name.  At a time when the apparently simple combination of great tunes, restrained arrangements and a clear strong voice seems an anomaly, it is a very welcome anomaly, and one that I can highly recommend to lovers of classy, melodic soul music.



LOUISE IS TOPS AT THE 2003 SOUL-PATROL AWARDS
January 12, 2004


www.soul-patrol.com has just announced its Top 5 New Artists for 2003 and its Top 20 New Releases for 2003 and guess what?
WHAT?
I was one of only 3 artists who made it into both lists.
In the Top 20 there are names like Marvin Gaye, Marcus Miller, Tower of Power, Barry White, The Temptations
...and then there in good ol' Lou from Sydney, NSW!

All jokes aside, I am so proud to be included in this list.

www.soul-patrol.com is an information, news gathering and educational series of internet resources focused on covering black music and culture of the last 50 years and is the largest black-owned internet site of its type reaching an impressive 500,000 soul music fans per month.
It's overall theme is "Great Black Music From The Ancient To The Future" and it's objective is to provide an alternative to commercial radio stations covering not only well known black artists and events, but also artists who are "beneath the radar" as they put it.

One of the reasons why "whisper my name"  was chosen is that I am considered to be one of the "new artists who are
'going against the grain' to try and extend OUR music into the future." (OUR music being black music)

What a compliment.

They have done a radio special on my cd, "whisper my name", which is fabulous, and also featured me in a radio show for the Top 5.
Below is the info you will need to find out more.


 So there are a couple of things you can do if you are interested. Don’t be afraid about download times - it takes less than a minute!

1. To listen to The Best New Artists of 2003 on Soul-Patrol.Net Radio
Click on http://www.soul-patrol.net/2003_best_new.ram

2. To listen To The Louise Perryman Special on Soul-Patrol.Net Radio
Click on http://www.soul-patrol.net/whisper_my_name.ram

3. If you are interested in getting ALL the info and finding out about the other artists who made it into the
Top 5 New Artists and the Top 20 New Releases, you can visit http://www.soul-patrol.com because
it is well worth it and they obviously have excellent taste in music, now don't they!!!

4. Check out the full soul-patrol cd review below

5. Buy my cd before they are all sold out (!) at www.cdbaby.com/perryman

What a great start to the new year....

My sincerest thanks to all of you who continue to support me – it helps me along my way.


The Review

What's in a label? Is this a jazz album or is it an R&B album?
CD Review: Louise Perryman - Whisper My Name
I mentioned this CD earlier in the year as one of the best releases I have heard so far in 2003. My opinion of it has grown since that time....
There is a long history of white women singing R&B music that black people have automatically accepted when they have heard the music.  Australian Louise Perryman fits neatly into that tradition! Sometimes Louise Perryman's voice reminds me of Anita Baker, sometimes she reminds me of Laura Nyro, and sometimes she reminds me of Maria Muldar. The music playing behind her sweet and sultry voice is kinda in a "70's Jazz-Funk" mode, not unlike that of Minnie Riperton's "Adventures In Paradise" All of these tracks are original compositions; so obviously Louise is quite talented. That is obvious from the first song, "Whisper My Name"...
"Whisper my name, over and over
Can you say it to me the way you say it when it's just you and me
The more I see, the more I want it
The more I need
It's more than just a breeze
Carrying you and me
This love is like a hurricane chasing the wind
Hush now baby, we can have it all
If you hush now baby, listen to your heart
Oh, hush now baby, ain't no need for words
Nothing's been the same"
This is some STRONG, SERIOUS and SENSOUS songwriting here folks...
(And it's one of the best CD releases that I have heard this year)
So far this year, "Whisper My Name" is flat out the most erotic CD I have heard and would make a perfect CD to follow the CD "Consenting Adultz" by our own resident lover man, Will Wheaton. So be sure to clear out a place in your stack of CDs.
Are you looking for something a little bit different to throw into your "3am Mix", right after Will Wheaton and just before Barry White?
And at "3am", does it really matter if you want to call it a "jazz album" or an R&B album?
You can't go wrong with Louise Perryman's "Whisper My Name".

JUST STICK IT IN (the CD player) and do yo thang :)
http://www.louiseperryman.com/ (and look for some of this music soon on Soul-Patrol.Net radio)
 - Bob Davis, www.soul-patrol.com (US) EROTIC?? - well I never!!!.....check out what is going on at http://www.soul-patrol.com



Here's my favourite Australian review  for "Whisper My Name" so far...IN FULL

Now here's a singer/songwriter working the silky smooth end of R&B/funk, not the contemporary version with its glissandos but the jazz/cabaret end, if you will,the field Sade ploughed so successfully a few years ago. Smokier and funkier than Sade however, Louise is more old school, with a dash of that Philly sound here, that Earth Wind & Fire flash there. This is one sophisticated lady, and she's surrounded herself with a group of musicians as tasteful as she to deliver..as aware of space as they are of groove and technique.
And she's called in some great players indeed, perfectly complimenting Louise's voice. Guitarist Peter Northcote shines with a rare subtlety, while Kere Buchanan not only shares some of the writing with Louise but also plays keyboards and drums and even adds to some of the harmony blocks that add that little extra soul/gospel feel to songs like Prayer For You and This Is Heaven. Beautiful stuff, delivered with a quiet passion.
Whether that's a good thing in a country like Australia, where this style has never really found fertile soil is a moot point. Perhaps that's why Louise has found the European community embracing this album where she remains a simple working girl struggling to make a living out of her original music here. Whisper My Name is the kind of late night chillout album that begs for serious AOR airplay commitment in Australian radio. The reality is that the best hope for Louise and artists like her, in the long term, is to get a copy of the album to Whitney Housten so that the American diva records a version of Stay and makes Lou a million bucks. Then she can just get on and make the music she wants to make for an appreciative European audience, tour there during the northern summer, and enjoy sydney's slowly evolving cosmopolitan life without having to worry too much about whether this city is picking up on what she's doing.
-Michael Smith, The Drum Media
 


"...an album perfect for the smooth jazz/soul audience. Her warm and evocative voice, has a similar tone to Des'ree, yet still maintains her own distinctive sound. One of the album's strongest tracks is the mid-tempo "Thinkin' Too Much", which has been awarded the Australian Songwriter's Association R&B Song of the Year. All tracks maintain a live-sound with "real" instruments, the joyous up-beat "You Can't Stop Me Now" a prime example."
-M2F Magazine, UK


”...such a big, soulful, jaw-dropping voice”. 
-  Sydney Morning Herald
 
"I'm lured back to the days where melody, touch, tone and feel mattered. This is the real thing."
- www.makeastar.com  


"I played both Play Your Game and Whisper My Name and people said you were just what the music world needed, a shot in the arm of REAL music. People loved it!! So, I'll be playing your music all evening long on my radio show that I do in the States. 
I get a worldwide audience online of over 230,000 listeners."
 Tracy~
New Breed Inc.
www.PirateRadio.com 
Once there, click where it says LISTEN TO STATIONS and scroll down to the MIXED FORMAT and click on the name NEW BREED RADIO and tune in all night. 



SONGWRITING AWARDS