Beautiful, talented, and focused, local singer-songwriter Chelsey Bennett is equal parts style and class. It’s little wonder that she has become one of the most talked about performers on Peterborough’s musical landscape.
One of the area’s busiest artists, Chelsey has performed at dozens of festivals, venues, concerts, and benefits over the past two years. While she’s best known for her musical collaborations with Rob Phillips (together they host The Blackhorse’s weekly Thursday night Jazz Jam), Chelsey has recently been making appearances with her own ensemble The Chelsey Bennett Band.
Now, after nearly a year of in production, Chelsey is releasing her debut EP, No End, on Friday, September 18th at 9 p.m. at Gallery in the Attic (140-1/2 Hunter St. W., Peterborough).
Featuring four of Chelsey’s own songs, the music on No End is so original that it rewrites everything you thought you knew about Chelsey Bennett. You may have heard her perform before, but you’ve never heard her sound like this.
“I’m so happy that it’s done and so excited to share my sound with people,” Chelsey says. “I learned a lot of things about how I would like to record and how I really want to be doing things I’ve never done before.”
Recorded last winter at Northumberland Studios in Trent Hills, No End was produced by local musician and actor Beau Dixon. With a team of trusted musicians and friends performing alongside her, Chelsey has taken a slow and methodical approach to create a high-quality musical package.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself not to screw it up and to do it right the first time,” Chelsey admits. “I was intimidated by the recording process. I think there’s a point where you know it’s not going to be perfect, and to expect whatever happens to happen.”
“I hired all the people that I trust the most and that I’ve worked with for so long,” Chelsey continues. “That way I knew that, if worst came to worst, that at least the guys would sound good.”
Although Chelsey has become Peterborough’s most celebrated jazz vocalist, No End transcends the jazz genre. Despite having jazz elements throughout, her sound is less Diana Krall or Norah Jones but harkens back to a more nostalgic era of female singer-songwriters such as Carol King and Laura Nyro.
“Obviously, there are jazz influences because I’m so rooted in jazz,” Chelsey explains. “But it has a real R&B sound with a little bit of soul, a little bit of funk, and a little pit of pop. I think you might call it neo-soul.”
No End is a highly personal album featuring songs that Chelsey has written in the past two years, since she returned to the area after living in Toronto and travelling abroad. Although she’s friendly and warm, Chelsey tends to be quite private and the songs on No End give a little bit of insight into the woman behind the music.
“The songs on the album were inspired by living here, having a little bit of love and a little bit of heartbreak, and going through a lot emotionally while trying to do music full time,” Chelsey says. “Having a little bit of that pressure definitely keeps you inspired.”
“If I’m feeling really motivated and inspired in life, I’m really excited about writing,” she says. “If I’m sad and depressed, I can’t write. When I have bad stuff going on in my life, it’s like I have a huge mental block. I have to go away and deal it, and then come back and try to write again.”
No End features studio recordings of “Sippin’ on Tea” and “Voodoo Magic”, two songs that have become staples of Chelsey’s shows and will be immediately familiar to fans.
The title song, “No End”, is the standout track on the album. A bittersweet love song, its poetry and passion shows Chelsey at her finest.
“Message on a Postcard” is something entirely different. It’s not a love song, but is filled with exotic imagery of faraway lands.
“‘Message on a Postcard’ is about my trip to the Middle East,” Chelsey says. “I found it really challenging to accept some of their standards of living and their cultural differences, but I realized that it’s important not to be ignorant and to understand other people’s ways of living. It was a really intense experience.”
Although I knew that No End was going to be good, I had no idea just how good. Chelsey is one of the best vocalists in the Kawarthas and No End not only highlights her talents, but brings out a dynamic sound that can rarely be recreated live.
With No End ready to be released in mid September, Chelsey alludes to definitive future plans — but for the time being she isn’t publicly revealing what they are. However, Chelsey’s talent and music is too good to be contained in Peterborough for very long.
No End is the sort of debut that deserves nationwide attention. Make sure to pick up the album and see Chelsey on the small stage while you still can — because once the larger world discovers No End it may only be a matter of time before Chelsey is off to much bigger things.
No End Teaser – Chelsey Bennett
“Sippin On Tea” – Chelsey Bennett
