Take a little bit of James Taylor, throw in some Gladys Knight, and add a little Dave Mathews and a pinch of Emily Saliers and you'll come up with the acoustic-soul fusion of Verlette Simon.
A soulful, intelligent songwriter, she cites her major influences as The Indigo Girls, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Armatrading, Toshi Regan, and a host of soul songwriters that she grew up listening to. Currently she says she listens to a lot of Joni Mitchell and Sweet Honey in the Rock.
"Singer/songwriter Verlette Simon provides the listener
with ten songs that are never the same, yet play so well together
through the entire album. Check out
PROOF OF LIFE. If you
enjoy acoustic music, you won't be disappointed. " - Jim Canales, The Acoustic Revival / 90FM WWSP
Buy PROOF OF LIFE $15.00 + S/H (Discount available)
"[...on ELEMENTS] she has
created a modern, stripped down approach to songwriting, letting her soulful
style shine through. Verlette's voice is versatile, from soft and soothing to
powerful and strong in just the right spots." - Emily Travis, WashingtonPost.com
Buy ELEMENTS Special MySpace sale price $10.00 + S/H
Verlette was born in Brooklyn, New York and spent the early part of her career performing in musicals, singing in the church choir and in her school's chorus. At 17 she discovered rock and roll and was the front person for a number of bands, most notably the New York-based band, Buddah. Verlette was also one of the youngest writers for the musical "I'm Growing as Fast as I Can". She has worked as a vocalist with The Fine Young Cannibals and Mony Love, just to name a few. She has worked singing jingles, as a voice teacher, a middle school teacher, and a drum-and-bass music distributor.
Verlette has been hailed as one of the best Urban Contemporary voices on the Washington, DC Music Scene. She won the Washington Area Music Award in 2003 for Best Urban Contemporary Vocalist and was nominated for that same award in 2002 and 2004. She performs throughout the DC area. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, The Strathmore Center for the Arts, and at many of the festivals, concert halls and clubs in the area and abroad.
Verlette says, "The music is all about art and healing energy: Intimate, rhythmic, creative, soul-stirring, and energetic." Her favorite saying is "The universe will have its way". She is currently working with well-known producer Marco Delmar on her new CD entitled "PROOF OF LIFE."
