Press

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

     

    “…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-

     

    “BILLIE HOLIDAY MEETS TOM WAITS at 3 a.m when ties get loosened and the party begins…SEVERAL SHADES OF AMAZING” -Jonathan Widran, Jazziz Magazine, Wine & Jazz Magazine

     

    “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)


    Magnolia Memoir - peak/eOne

    DIRECT CURRENT MUSIC-RADAR: MAGNOLIA MEMOIR

    “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.”

    “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 and the hit television series “The Closer” and “Saving Grace”

     

    Wine & Jazz Magazine Review: Jonathan Widran –

     

    Mela Lee

    “…I had the great privilege to discover this past year an incredible and innovative, high energy Los Angeles-based jazz ensemble that I believe will soon become a nationally recognized artist. In the bio I wrote after seeing Magnolia Memoir make their local debut last June at Largo at the Coronet Theatre, I said: “They opened the door to a realm that lead singer and songwriter Mela Lee playfully dubs ‘jazz for a new generation, jazz in an abandoned warehouse with whatever we could find..’ Fashioning a vibe that’s traditional yet contemporary, brimming with youthful pop and bits of edgy soul, coolly structured yet vibrant and experimental, the ensemble—featuring Alexander Burke (piano, vibes, organ) and Gordon Bash (upright and electric bass)– joins Lee for a journey to a sacred but gritty joint, let’s say an old speakeasy, where Billie Holiday meets Tom Waits at 3 a.m., conversation flows, the lights die down and only the coolest cats are still hanging out.”

    Beyond those influences, beyond the heartbreak, there’s a grace, a sweetness, an optimistic spirit in Mela’s songs and her voice that is not haunted but represents the deep joy after the mourning is over. Nine months after that show, I was excited to see Magnolia Memoir receive a month long Tuesday night residency at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub on Fairfax in March. MM is an unusual fit for the small stage at a club that generally hosts rising pop-rock singer-songwriters, but in their March 23 set, they rocked and seduced just as they did at the several hundred seat venue last June.

    The group has evolved a bit, with core members Lee, Burke and Bash joined by Toby Karlin (sax, flute), Aron Forbes (guitar), Matt Lucich (drums) and special guest Ricardo Hambra (dumbek and tablas). The new “cats” solidly complemented the sizzling core vibe forged by the three mainstays. On a mix of sassy charmers (“Pretty Kitty”), raucous jazz rockers (“Unexpected Bliss”) and even a wink to Brit soul (“Crying Shame”), Lee showed her vocal dynamics which ease effortlessly from powerhouse to whispery elegance. She’s got the sly, sensual innocence of Billie and the playful jazziness of Ella, with lovely touches of Ani Di Franco…”.

     

    Alexander Burke

    Burke is a whirlwind, jumping from the main keyboard to vibes to Rhodes, while Bash jump jived like mad on the big bandy rock jazz of “Unexpected Bliss,” literally jumping onto the upright bass and playing it while perched near the neck! As impressive as Magnolia Memoir’s self titled debut was, I am expecting big things from their upcoming sophomore release based on the handful of songs they performed from it, including “Get Lost,” “The Wait” and “Crying Shame.” I also enjoyed a colorful version of “Doorbell” by The White Stripes. I’ll use a Melina-ism to sum up my thoughts as I watch the brilliant Magnolia Memoir evolve: “Many shades of amazing!”

    -Jonathan Widran / Wine and Jazz Magazine