“BY FAR – ONE OF THE BEST ACTS I’VE HEARD…EVER.” – Larry Leblanc, The Hot Seat

“Magnolia Memoir creates a convincing noir atmosphere and a killer take on the femme fatale archetype. THE PERFECT CRIME IS A LISTEN TO DIE FOR” – Brice Ezell, Pop Matters

“The Perfect Crime is BLISSFULLY DARK, HARMONICALLY AND LYRICALLY INVENTIVE, AND HONEST” -Devon Wendell, the International Review of Music (IROM)

“…PART BILLIE HOLIDAY SMOKY SEDUCTION and PART COY POP VIXEN GWEN STEFANI -Magnolia Memoir keeps things sleek and playful — though you know there’s something slightly dark and demented lurking behind the smile…”   -Dave Curtis, Direct Current Music: RADAR

“…this album begs to be heard. MAGNOLIA MEMOIR IS AN INSTANT CLASSIC. Mela Lee’s voice and lyrics are stunning, and altogether  unforgettable.” -Margaret Cho—Actress, Comedienne-

“in the single track age of iTunes, it’s refreshing for any emerging band to enter the fray with A DYNAMIC CONCEPT ALBUM”…” A POWERFUL, REMARKABLY ECLECTIC SET- “The Perfect Crime”, is driven by  Lee’s whimsical yet earthly sensuality, but ventures decisively (and often explosively) into Triple AAA, pop/rock territory.” – iTunes “New & Noteworthy”

 

“BILLIE HOLIDAY MEETS TOM WAITS at 3 a.m when ties get loosened and the party begins…SEVERAL SHADES OF AMAZING” -Jonathan Widran,  Music Connection/AllMusic.com

“Magnolia Memoir’s new album “THE PERFECT CRIME” is PERFECT BLISS! -  It’s as addictive as chocolate caramels. Mela Lee’s honey and cinnamon voice over Alex Burke’s  & the band’s exquisite arrangements and crescendo’s, brings to mind the highlights from 1960′s pop, and dazzles the listener with images of some great noir film you think you’ve seen. Funky and soulful, mysterious and alluring, the album’s narrative holds together throughout, weaving a sultry tale of seduction, personal empowerment and longing. It’s the perfect album for lingering in bed on a warm morning with your lover (or someone else’s).” -Darick Robertson (Artist and co-creator of Transmetropolitan, and The BOYS)

 

SOMETHING ELSE REVIEW – Nick Deriso

“…THE PERFECT CRIME, due on February 28 from Peak/eOne, WILL ONLY SERVE TO BOLSTER A REPUTATION IN STEEP ASCENT”

“Magnolia Memoir has been described, and beautifully so, as Fiona Apple meets the Killers with a dash of the Clash — and that’s a good start. What’s not delineated there is the torch-song vulnerability, fragile and yet hopeful, that propels much of the work on The Perfect Crime.

It’s then that this quintet begins to separate itself from an ever-burgeoning series of art-pop bands emerging out of Los Angeles’ folk-pop club scene these days.

You expect a bit of outsized diva-ism from singer Mela Lee (and you get it), even sleek post-jazz hooks from keyboardist and bandleader Alexander Burke (ditto). But not the rumbling undercurrent of unglamorous junkie fragility of “Good Girl” — so similar, in a way, to Billie Holiday, but far more modern. And not the thunderingly soulful kick of their take on the White Stripes’ “My Doorbell.” And certainly not the coy mid-century coo of “I Keep Falling.”

They play it straight. No winks, no nudges. In so doing, The Perfect Crime, due on February 28 from Peak/eOne, will only serve to bolster a reputation already in steep ascent.

For all of its mixing and matching of styles, and all of the joy and magic in that musical elixir, what continually stands out is the group’s clearly heart-felt, bone-deep optimism. Shadows gather, but Magnolia Memoir is always searching for that first flicker of the dawn.

There’s perhaps no better example than “Broken Cup (Revolution Remix),” a brilliant reworking — part gypsy-fiddle romance, part foot-stamping punk attitude — of what was at first simply a gorgeously romantic cut from the band’s independently released debut. The song swoons with a new-found power on The Perfect Crime, sounding wiser but yet still completely ready to give into the emotion of the moment. This band just keeps getting better.” – Nick DeRiso, Something Else Reviews

DIRECT CURRENT MUSIC-RADAR: MAGNOLIA MEMOIR

“Memoir keeps things sleek and playful — though you know there’s something slightly dark and demented lurking behind the smile, a ragged run in the nylons and a scuff or two in the patent leather pumps.”

“Singer/frontwoman Mela Lee and keyboardist/bandleader Alexander Burke are the founders and dual creative forces behind Magnolia Memoir, a genre-jumping (sm)art/pop band that’s been a mainstay at L.A. folk/pop clubs like Largo and King King over the past couple of years. In possession of a voice that’s part Billie Holiday smoky seduction and part coy pop vixen Gwen Stefani , Lee and her band swing, shake and strut their way through an evershifting melange of styles on their new album The Perfect Crime (February 28, Peak/E1), touching (and smashing through) alt/pop, jazzy, brassy soul and slow burning torch songs with unrestrained glee.

Whether they’re tackling an incendiary version of The White Stripes “My Doorbell” (video below), the wistful bluesy lament “Good Girl” or classic-sounding pop/soul rave-up “I Keep Falling”, Magnolia Memoir keeps things sleek and playful — though you know there’s a slightly dark and demented something lurking behind the smile, a ragged run in the nylons and a scuff or two in the patent leather pumps.” – Dave Curtis  READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE with Links to Videos and FREE BONUS MATERIAL

 

THE KEY- PHILADELPHIA

“A CAPTIVATING BLEND OF THE SEXINESS OF JAZZ AND THE HONESTY OF ROCK…” ...J.D. Souther’s reliably funny and touching set was comfortingly familiar, and his confidence as a veteran performer was obvious, especially because it was juxtaposed with the freshness of the band Magnolia Memoir who opened for him. Free At Noon shows do not usually feature openers, but as soon as the Magnolia Memoir front woman Mela Lee began to sing, it was clear why Souther was paired with the group. Had Magnolia Memoir toured with anyone less impressive, it would have stolen the show. Mela Lee’s voice is meltingly sweet and, as her bio promises, she actually has a five octave range. As a performer, Lee is a method actor. During the heart-breaking confessional “Good Girl,” she barely held back tears and she played with her hair nervously when she described the feeling of falling in love in “I Keep Falling.” In a black dress, subtle jewelry, soft curls and red lipstick, she looked like a femme fatale, but she sounded like a young woman in the throes of her first love. It was a captivating blend of the sexiness of jazz and the honesty of acoustic rock. Magnolia Memoir’s third song featured mandolin in place of piano and the group shifted effortlessly from jazz-and-rock to a more blues-and-country feel. The real shock of their set came when Lee thanked the audience and XPN, saying that this was their first ever radio appearance. It seems safe to say this was the first of many to come, but it’s always exciting to see a band that is genuinely grateful for a chance to perform.{…}Magnolia Memoir brought the energy of a band that is literally on the verge of making it.” -Naomi Shavin, The Key-Philadelphia (Full Article)

 

“The Perfect Crime “ is UNIQUE, INCREDIBLE, SOULFUL EVERYTHING THAT GREAT MUSIC STRIVES FOR, this has in spades, an experience not to be missed. [This Album...]Captures you at the start and doesn’t let go.  Just when you think you have a new favourite song, another plays, and then another… “- Bill Geradts, Producer/Author -”The Warden” & Armageddon Expo Australia/NewZealand

- “Mela Lee has the voice of an angel and can break the heart of heaven…” -Andrae Crouch – Multiple Grammy-winning Gospel Legend

“…MELA LEE AND MAGNOLIA MEMOIR CREATE AN AMBIANCE  THAT CONJURES UP GREATNESS…” - Bill Bentley, Sonic Boomers

Sonic Boomers:How many times do you hear someone from the first moment and know they are going to be around for a long, long time. Mela Lee, lead singer for Magnolia Memoir, comes walking slowly out of a foggy alley with a voice that sounds like she has lived several lifetimes, and is still discovering new ways to thrill us. There will be the inevitable comparisons to Billie Holiday, which are fair enough, but Lee is all her own person, and puts so much feeling into this music that it can be slightly voyeuristic just listening. There is such a hushed quality of deep intimacy in something like “When I Think of You” that you will swear you’re  listening to a time-honored classic. Even next to an alluring version of Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” Mela Lee and Magnolia Memoir create an ambience that conjures up greatness. Keyboard player Alexander Burke, who also is the prime composer along with Lee of the originals, keeps the backing sound to a minimum, wisely letting the vocals take the listener into the singer’s world.  Clearly, from the name of the group to their instrumentation and even the songs they write, Magnolia Memoir is out to evoke a specific world. But the way they wisely stay away from nostalgia shows their talent and imagination, and lets it be known that it is only a matter of time before they make their mark. Mela Lee: remember that name. – Bill Bentley

Early Accolades

“Reminiscent of Billie Holiday…Mela’s voice, phrasing and lyrics are captivating. Alexander Burke’s arrangements and performance are beyond musical. Instantly accessible and complex all at once, Magnolia Memoir is a wonderfully perfect album.”  -Donald Vega— jazz pianist (Wynton Marsalis) -

- “Sweet, sexy, nuanced, and smart…A sumptuous, evocative, and deeply moving experience. I dare you to listen to this delicious, wide-ranging, bawdy, beautiful album only once.” -Roger Wolfson – writer for the Huffington Post