Inspired by the glamour of 1930's Hollywood, Paris' Jazz Age and her unadulterated passion for life, chanteuse Le Kat recently released her debut album, Boudoir Rouge. Brimming with elegantly diverse jazz vocals and moody pop songs that ooze sensuality, singer-songwriter Le Kat wrote nine of the fourteen songs co produced by William Tabanou. Lush and inviting, Boudoir Rouge celebrates the swank of the jazz age and the bluesy swagger of modern day as Le Kat's vocals set the mood—think Jessica Rabbit meets Marlene Dietrich!
Backing Le Kat on Boudoir Rouge is a core group of gifted musicians, including Tabanou on guitar and keyboards, Aaron Kaplan (Rod Stewart) on guitar, banjo and mandolin, bassist Brett Simons (Brian Wilson), Doug Webb (Quincy Jones, Freddie Hubbard) on saxophone and clarinet, trumpeter Larry Williams (Freddie Hubbard, Doc Severinsen), David Langlois (Stephane Wrembel) on percussion and washboard, pianist Jimmy Levine and drummer Mark David. Evoking a modern-day Moulin Rouge are Le Kat's series of critically-acclaimed live shows. The “torch song seductress" and her stellar band are accompanied by her “sneaky cheeky" dancers complementing her every move and every note with their heavenly harmonies, feather fans and all! With stage presence in spades and costuming to die for, Le Kat lets her audience know that she unequivocally belongs on the bandstand.
“Boudoir Rouge is about love, lust and desire. It's a musical fusion of the past and present that takes you on a dream-like journey back in time. I call it nouveau glamour of old Hollywood. Iconic artists such as Django Reinhardt, Josephine Baker, Cole Porter, Cab Calloway and Marlene Dietrich are just a few of my inspirations. My goal is to evoke the music and glamour of the bygone era that gave birth to jazz and celebrated progression," revealed Le Kat.
Opening with an inviting trip back in time to a Paris café, “Best I Ever Had" is a vocally ethereal song of amorous desire paced by lilting guitar progressions. Penned by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, “I Need A Man" is a slinky vaudevillian vamp. Le Kat purrs angrily through “More" while her musical ensemble takes on big band qualities on “Talk To Me." “Mista Twista" is rambunctious, frisky and fun, while a sensual video clip was shot for the Bossa Nova and samba-infused “Wikked Lil' Grrrls." Originally recorded by Madonna, “Hanky Panky" teases and tantalizes; the sassy “Bigger Than The Both of Us" vacillates in tempo allowing Le Kat to both vulnerably croon quietly and bellow boisterously with defiance in a tour-de-force performance. One of three emphasis radio tracks, “River" swings with elegance and grace while the yearning “Coming Home," “Desire" and “Blue Man" are atmospheric ballads. On “Keep Young and Beautiful," Le Kat offers a tongue-in-cheek guide for women in a society obsessed with youth and looks. Closing the disc as a bonus track, the ambient “Lady in Lavender" is haunting and chilling. Le Kat (Kathy Lester) grew up in Hollywood where she started singing and writing songs at an early age. She spread her artistic wings into acting and studied dance at The Roland Dupree Dance Academy. It was there that an agent approached her, which led to a role as the femme fatale in the cult horror classic Phastasm. Her performance as the “Lady in Lavender," for which she appears before legions of “Phans" at horror conventions across the nation, inspired the song she wrote of the same title. Le Kat honed her songwriting and performing talents, and studied voice with the legendary Rosemary Butler,Seth Riggs and Kay Montgomery. Hungry for the ambience and musical style of the 1930's, she decided to focus her artistic muse on reviving that era musically and incorporating elements from that period into her performance. To support Boudoir Rouge, Le Kat has created an alluring musical and visual feast for the concert stage.
A complete track listing for Le Kat's Boudoir Rouge is as follows:
“Best I Ever Had"
“I Need A Man"
“More"
“Talk To Me"
“Mista Twista"
“Wikked Lil' Grrrls"
“Coming Home"
“Hanky Panky"
“Desire"
“Bigger Than The Both of Us"
“River"
“Blue Man"
“Keep Young and Beautiful"
“Lady in Lavender" (bonus)
With lyrical wit and vocal prowess, Le Kat is unafraid to flaunt her sultry ego and the independence of today's woman. No surprise, music critics are taking notice of Le Kat and Boudoir Rouge. Below is some of the buzz. Jazziz: “Boudoir Rouge, the recently released 14-track debut album from singer Le Kat, is a sultry, playful affair inspired by a range of interests and influences... Le Kat is assisted on Boudoir Rouge by a fine cast of musicians...Le Kat—a Hollywood, California, native whose real name is Kathy Lester—wrote nine of the songs on this stylistically diverse record, which includes vintage-sounding jazz numbers, theatrical cabaret tunes, pop, and moody torch songs. All of the material exudes a smoky, come-hither slinkiness. Basically, the disc is good fun...On the whole, this is a nice debut effort." Smooth Jazz Daily: “Her own composition More is just brilliant... Ballads like the longing Desire, the self-confident Bigger Than The Both Of Us or the critical River show Le Kat's real strength, her fantastic skills as composer and singer...Le Kat's Boudoir Rouge is a special work of art. A shimmering world of indecency with its own attractiveness." Windy City Times: “The stunning blonde is never short on sex appeal, as she breathlessly purrs on 'Coming Home' and 'Desire.' She brilliantly reinterprets 'I Need a Man' by The Eurythmics by stripping the original's arrangements to focus on her plea. The Los Angeles-based artist also adds her own takes on Madonna's often-overlooked top 10 hit 'Hanky Panky' and Cole Porter's 'Keep Young and Beautiful.' The bonus song 'Lady in Lavender' is about her role in the cult film Phantasm. Le Kat, born Kathy Lester, has her hand in writing majority of the sassy numbers on Boudoir Rouge. She impressively captures a timeless essence with her robust work."
Backing Le Kat on Boudoir Rouge is a core group of gifted musicians, including Tabanou on guitar and keyboards, Aaron Kaplan (Rod Stewart) on guitar, banjo and mandolin, bassist Brett Simons (Brian Wilson), Doug Webb (Quincy Jones, Freddie Hubbard) on saxophone and clarinet, trumpeter Larry Williams (Freddie Hubbard, Doc Severinsen), David Langlois (Stephane Wrembel) on percussion and washboard, pianist Jimmy Levine and drummer Mark David. Evoking a modern-day Moulin Rouge are Le Kat's series of critically-acclaimed live shows. The “torch song seductress" and her stellar band are accompanied by her “sneaky cheeky" dancers complementing her every move and every note with their heavenly harmonies, feather fans and all! With stage presence in spades and costuming to die for, Le Kat lets her audience know that she unequivocally belongs on the bandstand.
“Boudoir Rouge is about love, lust and desire. It's a musical fusion of the past and present that takes you on a dream-like journey back in time. I call it nouveau glamour of old Hollywood. Iconic artists such as Django Reinhardt, Josephine Baker, Cole Porter, Cab Calloway and Marlene Dietrich are just a few of my inspirations. My goal is to evoke the music and glamour of the bygone era that gave birth to jazz and celebrated progression," revealed Le Kat.
Opening with an inviting trip back in time to a Paris café, “Best I Ever Had" is a vocally ethereal song of amorous desire paced by lilting guitar progressions. Penned by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, “I Need A Man" is a slinky vaudevillian vamp. Le Kat purrs angrily through “More" while her musical ensemble takes on big band qualities on “Talk To Me." “Mista Twista" is rambunctious, frisky and fun, while a sensual video clip was shot for the Bossa Nova and samba-infused “Wikked Lil' Grrrls." Originally recorded by Madonna, “Hanky Panky" teases and tantalizes; the sassy “Bigger Than The Both of Us" vacillates in tempo allowing Le Kat to both vulnerably croon quietly and bellow boisterously with defiance in a tour-de-force performance. One of three emphasis radio tracks, “River" swings with elegance and grace while the yearning “Coming Home," “Desire" and “Blue Man" are atmospheric ballads. On “Keep Young and Beautiful," Le Kat offers a tongue-in-cheek guide for women in a society obsessed with youth and looks. Closing the disc as a bonus track, the ambient “Lady in Lavender" is haunting and chilling. Le Kat (Kathy Lester) grew up in Hollywood where she started singing and writing songs at an early age. She spread her artistic wings into acting and studied dance at The Roland Dupree Dance Academy. It was there that an agent approached her, which led to a role as the femme fatale in the cult horror classic Phastasm. Her performance as the “Lady in Lavender," for which she appears before legions of “Phans" at horror conventions across the nation, inspired the song she wrote of the same title. Le Kat honed her songwriting and performing talents, and studied voice with the legendary Rosemary Butler,Seth Riggs and Kay Montgomery. Hungry for the ambience and musical style of the 1930's, she decided to focus her artistic muse on reviving that era musically and incorporating elements from that period into her performance. To support Boudoir Rouge, Le Kat has created an alluring musical and visual feast for the concert stage.
A complete track listing for Le Kat's Boudoir Rouge is as follows:
“Best I Ever Had"
“I Need A Man"
“More"
“Talk To Me"
“Mista Twista"
“Wikked Lil' Grrrls"
“Coming Home"
“Hanky Panky"
“Desire"
“Bigger Than The Both of Us"
“River"
“Blue Man"
“Keep Young and Beautiful"
“Lady in Lavender" (bonus)
With lyrical wit and vocal prowess, Le Kat is unafraid to flaunt her sultry ego and the independence of today's woman. No surprise, music critics are taking notice of Le Kat and Boudoir Rouge. Below is some of the buzz. Jazziz: “Boudoir Rouge, the recently released 14-track debut album from singer Le Kat, is a sultry, playful affair inspired by a range of interests and influences... Le Kat is assisted on Boudoir Rouge by a fine cast of musicians...Le Kat—a Hollywood, California, native whose real name is Kathy Lester—wrote nine of the songs on this stylistically diverse record, which includes vintage-sounding jazz numbers, theatrical cabaret tunes, pop, and moody torch songs. All of the material exudes a smoky, come-hither slinkiness. Basically, the disc is good fun...On the whole, this is a nice debut effort." Smooth Jazz Daily: “Her own composition More is just brilliant... Ballads like the longing Desire, the self-confident Bigger Than The Both Of Us or the critical River show Le Kat's real strength, her fantastic skills as composer and singer...Le Kat's Boudoir Rouge is a special work of art. A shimmering world of indecency with its own attractiveness." Windy City Times: “The stunning blonde is never short on sex appeal, as she breathlessly purrs on 'Coming Home' and 'Desire.' She brilliantly reinterprets 'I Need a Man' by The Eurythmics by stripping the original's arrangements to focus on her plea. The Los Angeles-based artist also adds her own takes on Madonna's often-overlooked top 10 hit 'Hanky Panky' and Cole Porter's 'Keep Young and Beautiful.' The bonus song 'Lady in Lavender' is about her role in the cult film Phantasm. Le Kat, born Kathy Lester, has her hand in writing majority of the sassy numbers on Boudoir Rouge. She impressively captures a timeless essence with her robust work."
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