SOLD OUT - Natalie Williams Soul Family Sunday 18th April

Hosted by the wonderfully charismatic and talented soul singer Natalie Williams and her band, Soul Family Sunday offers the chance to catch some of the best R&B, soul and jazz musicians in the UK up close and personal.

While guests vary from month to month, there is always the opportunity to hear music of the highest quality where the
stars of the British scene showcase their material in an exciting ad hoc setting.

NATALIE WILLIAMS BIOGRAPHY (2010)

“Anxiously awaiting this CD (Secret Garden) to land on the doormat, the moment it turned up the plastic was stripped and into the stereo it went. That was two weeks ago and it’s still there. Natalie Williams has unleashed what quite possibly could be the finest project to have ever come out of the U.K. soul scene…..Versatile, vocally strong and beautiful are all the makings of a superstar and Natalie Williams’ star shines brighter than most at the moment……”

Blues & Soul Magazine

“One of the UK's hottest singers…she effortlessly moves from soul-diva to sensual and sophisticated jazz.” Time Out

“The moment she starts to sing she becomes a commanding, strutting presence, scatting with an infectious relish.” Telegraph

Some people may know Natalie from her self penned solo albums, some might be more familiar with the more jazzy side of things like her standards album? The die-hard D&B lovers may know her soaring vocals on underground drum and bass hits from other various collaborations and others might remember her from a gig they may have seen anywhere around the world… either way…

…"People can't help but go away with a bit of Williams' natural sparkle having attached itself to them" Deuce

"When Nat sings, anything from a jazz standard to a funky original, you can be sure of a voice that is natural, swinging, soulful, playful and blessed with a gobsmacking range. A testament to her power as an artist is a steady stream of Natalie wanabees. I like that. It says that an artist is a vital part of defining a new generation."

Ian Shaw

"Natalie Williams is most definitely the real deal. Trail blazing voice, and pure utter soul from every pore. I LOVE listening to her, and singing with her and being around her just to experience some of the essence of what this music is honestly and rightfully about. A stunningly talented woman."Liane Carroll

“…She’s Joss Stone and Erykah Badu times 20….

… I saw her play recently and it was just incredible. She’s a truly real, beautiful star, worthy of everyone’s attention.” Jamie Cullum

Born and raised in Berlin to a Hungarian mother and British father, Natalie Williams realised her love for music, in particular jazz, at the age of 15, discovering her dad’s, the poet John Hartley Williams, immense record collection. Her early influences included singers Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Aretha Franklin, and these legends inspired Natalie to pursue a career in singing. In 1997 she decided to take her passion further by moving to London to study at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama, becoming the first person to study both classical and jazz singing on the undergraduate course.

Natalie has toured extensively throughout the world, performing at an array of renowned festivals, including opening the recent 2009 London Jazz Festival as a featured soloist alongside Kurt Elling and Sheila Jordan with Guy Barker’s ‘Jazz Voice’ at the Barbican Centre. Other memorable appearances include Glastonbury Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Abu Dhabi Jazz Festival, Kaunas Jazz festival in Lithuania and the Kathmandu Jazz Festival ‘Jazzmandu’. She has appeared as a featured artist with The Heritage Orchestra, Goldie and Bugz In The Attic and alongside Amy Winehouse, Shlomo, John Legend, Lemar, Alison Moyet, Jamie Cullum, Babyface, the Neville Brothers and recently with Manu Katché on his French TV show ‘One Shot Not’ on Arte.

September 2006 saw her fulfilling a dream of becoming the resident singer at the world renowned Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club, supporting international jazz stars on a weekly basis with the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars.

There she has played opposite Jeff Beck, The Crusaders, Tower Of Power, Steve Gadd, Kenny Barron, Nigel Kennedy, Joe Lovano, Jon Hendricks and Jools Holland among many others and having become somewhat of a fixture at the club, she also runs and hosts the now legendary monthly soul night, Soul Family Sundays; a regular sell out event 3 years running!

An accomplished songwriter, Natalie signed her first publishing deal with Peer Music in 2007 and as a top-line writer she has collaborated with Shy FX and Hospital Records’ Nu:tone, gaining fans from enthusiastic D&B lovers worldwide.

Signed to independent label ‘Eastside Records’, she has recorded 3 albums ‘Yours Truly’, ‘Lucky Old Sun’ and ‘Secret Garden’, and is set to release her 4^th album ‘My Oh My’ in April 2010. All of these have been met with critical acclaim, including underground classic singles, 'Butterfly' and 'This Girl' which was A-listed at BBC Radio 2 and also won her ‘best video’ at the 2007 Urban Music Awards. ‘Secret Garden’ to date has achieved 80,000 downloads,14 weeks featured on iTunes and number 1 in the We7 album, soul and RnB charts for 6 weeks in early 2008

While many artists talk about taking creative & artistic control of their careers, few actually achieve that high ideal, but in 2009 Natalie took matters into her own hands, co-founding her own label Sound Tribe Records, entering into a joint venture with Eastside records to release all of her upcoming new material.

Natalie has even taken the whole thing a step further than simply releasing her own music, by developing and presenting an online music TV series (due out early 2010) - the Sound Tribe Show (www.soundtribe.co.uk) for the Daily Telegraph, modeled on the same format as the successful live Soul Family shows.

“I began to realise I wanted to expand what I do musically into other areas and take more control of what I do artistically”- comments Natalie. 

Her electrifying single ‘Lilʼ Wiser’ (from the forthcoming album ‘My Oh My’) achieved great support from BBC 1Xtra (No. 4 in R&B Top 5) and Kiss 100 and the follow up single ‘Keep Me Holding On’ (for which the Esquire remix went to number one in the Music Week club charts) will be out in April 2010, closely followed by the album.

Natalieʼs obvious talent and tenacity are gathering well-deserved attention, so expect much more to come from a lady who is proving to be a more than just a ‘Lilʼ Wiser’.

Check out www.myspace.com/natwilliams for her music and videos!!!