To some music aficionados, American Idol is just something for the kids; nothing serious music lovers should care about.While that may be true for persons who are more accustomed to weighing the cultural significance of songwriter angst in relation to socio-political/economic indicators rather than calling in or texting votes for their favorite contestants, American Idol has also given us new stars on the R&B, Gospel and Soul music horizon: Fantasia (who went on to star on Broadway), Jennifer Hudson (who received a Golden Globe, a SAG, an Oscar and more for her supporting role in the movie version of Dreamgirls), George Huff and Mandisa (who both bring new flavors to contemporary Christian music) and now has brought to our attention Melinda Doolittle.
Melinda's story is unusual in that she started out as an unlikely professional singer because (by her own admission) she was tone deaf as a child. However, she learned the value of prayer from her mother ("Mommy" as she is affectionately called) and was transformed into a songbird. Melinda's Christian faith has sustained her throughout her development and training: guided her to Belmont University in Nashville and under the mentorship of vocal coach Janet Kenyon, provided her with a successful career as a much in demand BGV (Background Vocalist) and now has moved her out of the background and into the lead spotlight through American Idol.
Ironically, Melinda just wanted to prove to herself that she could sing the lead and get over her fear of being in front of people; but what has happened along the way is phenomenal: Melinda became a spokesperson for Malaria No More (fulfilling a lifetime dream to travel to Africa not once but twice), command performances at the White House and various charitable events have been the highlight of her calendar since the Idols Live tour ended and she has just finished a second Michael W. Smith Christmas tour. Add to that the countless persons that she has inspired to "Dream Big!" (her favorite phrase) and you can see how Melinda's prayers have truly been answered beyond even her wildest dreams.
Some may still say "why care? There are lots of new singers every day who want careers." To that I answer: how many of them have the potential to be the next Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Sarah Vaughan...how many? Not since Stephanie Mills and Oleta Adams has there been a female vocalist this young who could literally take the baton/mic from the greats and run on/sing into legend. A voice that hits all of the notes properly is one thing, but Melinda is that rarest of songbird who literally becomes the music she sings. Miss Doolittle has more musical styles in her vocal armoire than the average singer and she has proven that she can handle multiple genres, especially in her debut CD, Coming Back To You, which drops on February 3, 2009. This homage to classic soul, jazz and blues is proof-positive that the girl can sing anything she wants. While Sharon Jones has kept the Classic Soul fires burning almost single-handed (despite efforts by the carpetbaggers who will go unnamed), Melinda is now taking her turn at throwing a few hot ones on the fire; and who knows - this may be the final push to get Classic Soul back onto the front burner where it belongs. After all, the music industry in this country particularly owes a huge debt to the architects of Classic Soul: James Brown, Aretha Franklin, MuddyWaters, The Funk Brothers and too many to mention here. The aforementioned carpetbaggers have plundered soul music for years and plucked the juiciest pieces out to spice up what has been passing for music these last fifteen years. The days of plunder are numbered now because Melinda Doolittle is Coming Back To You! ;-)
Check out Melinda's official website at www.melindadoolittle.com!
