To immediately listen to this month's Top Five vocalists, please Click Here
Christine Santelli Named November “Best Vocalist Of The
Month” With Her Song “One More Day”
By Dale Kawashima
Christine Santelli, a talented, veteran rock singer &
songwriter based in Jersey City, NJ, has won the November SingerUniverse “Best
Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for her performance of her song “One More
Day”. This song is from her new 13-song CD, Tales From The Red Room,
which she will release independently later this month (Nov. 2006).
Christine Santelli
“One More Day” is an intimate, acoustic ballad, which
features a sparse but very effective arrangement (mainly guitar, bass and
strings). The recording provides an excellent showcase for Santelli’s strong,
soulful vocals. Her vocal performance on this song is reminiscent of Marianne
Faithfull’s compelling style, but with a smoother, less raspy approach. “One
More Day” was adeptly produced by Santelli with her husband Matthew Mousseau,
who also plays drums on her albums and in her band.
Santelli grew up in Clifton Park in upstate New York, where
she learned to sing, play piano and guitar at a young age. She was inspired by
listening to such artists as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Etta James. During
high school, Santelli played solo gigs at coffeehouses, and she was the head of
the folk group at her church. For college, she attended Plattsburgh University
(in NY), where she graduated with a degree in psychology. Also during her
college years, she developed her songwriting skills, and she fronted a band
which toured several Northeast states.
In the ‘90s, Santelli moved to New York City to pursue her
music career, and she formed a band called Christine & The Dickens. The
group recorded a CD called 24 Hours and they toured steadily, including
touring overseas. The Dickens eventually broke up, but Santelli continued
touring with a new band and recorded two live albums, Live In Paris (a
rocking blues album) and Moscow Live. Over the years, Santelli & her
band have performed in many countries, including France, Russia, Norway,
Switzerland and South Africa.
Christine Santelli performing live.
Santelli subsequently wrote and recorded two more studio
albums, Season Of A Child (in 2002) and Christine Santelli
(2004), prior to recording her latest album, Tales From The Red Room,
which includes “One More Day.” “The new album is more acoustic,” explained Santelli.
“The songs I wrote for this album just happened to be geared towards a more
acoustic sound – it flowed naturally. There are some rock, jazz and blues songs
on the CD, but overall it’s more acoustic.”
Now with the release this month of Tales From The Red
Room, Santelli is looking forward to promoting her CD. “I’m excited about
my new album, and I will be doing a lot of promotion, including getting airplay
and touring,” she said. “I will be performing solo gigs, plus playing shows
with my band. And currently, I’m looking for an agent who can help me book more
shows and tours.”
In addition, here are four, talented vocalists/artists who complete our Top Five Vocalists honorees list for this month's competition, with their credits, plus their e-mail and website links:
Larry Zarella
"Quiet Life" (pop/acoustic). Written and performed by Larry Zarella of Talkeetna, Alaska.