Freda Payne, photographed in her West Hollywood home, says today's R&B music does not compare to the heyday of soul. (Photo by Gary McCarthy)
Story Created:
Jun 9, 2010 at 8:27 PM PST
Story Updated:
Jun 9, 2010 at 8:27 PM PST
When songstress Freda Payne hits the stage this Sunday to join pianist, harpist and vocalist Corky Hale and friends at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood, she will be bringing something with her she says lacks in today’s music: soul.
“Nowadays when people ask, ‘What do you think about the music that’s being produced today or the songs that are being written today compared to the songs of yesterday?’ I think there is no comparison, I don’t know what it is,” Payne said in an interview at her West Hollywood home. “I think people still have imaginations and talent, but … maybe it was timing of where we were on this planet because everything now is so instantaneous and processed and reproduced, whereas back then everything was slower, things were more real and there weren’t so many conveniences but what we’ve gained from technology, we’ve lost in soul. I think we had more soul back then.”
Made up of Payne, Hale, Sally Kellerman, Ariana Savalas, Tricia Tahara and Brenna Whitaker, the sextet will perform a collection of acclaimed romantic ballads from the 11-track album titled “Corky Hale … and Friends: I’m Glad There Is You.”
Payne, who has worked with Hale on several projects, was approached by the world renowned jazz artist and neighbor — they live minutes from one another — about doing the project. For Payne, a Detroit-native who performed her first studio recording at the age of 13, “it was an honor,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for her as a musician.”
Hale had already given thought to which songs she wanted Payne to sing, and luckily they were ones she adored: “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” a traditional American folk song, and “Alfie,” a 1960s classic written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
On the album, Payne’s jazzy voice resonated, creating emotional moments where she dipped low in her register before taking her vocals to familiar heights that can be compared to late-greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horn — all of whom were her role models growing up.
“Alfie,” said Payne, is one of those songs that has legs and has survived over the decades because the words are not only honest but philosophic, providing wisdom and questioning life’s meaning.
“Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” on the other hand, “makes you think about being in love, if you were in love or are in love,” added Payne, who herself was reminded about being in “the throws of love, reaching that point of euphoria where that person has enraptured you and you kind of almost worship that man for that time period.”
Following her stint at the Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., beginning at 7:30 p.m., Payne will perform at the Ella Fitzgerald Performing Arts Center, where she will pay tribute to the legendary artist. Then in August, she will be part of a PBS special called “Marvin Hamlisch Presents: The Way We Were — The ‘70s,” where she will sing “Band of Gold” and “Bring the Boys Home” before returning to the Catalina Bar & Grill in September to do her own solo work.
“Music is everything to me, music is my life,” said Payne. “Because of music I am where I am today. Music has been my saving grace in every way, not just financially but spiritually and it brings me a lot of happiness and joy.”
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