Carmen Lundy, ‘Something to Believe In’

The Tavis Smiley Show, Tavis Smiley
January 22, 2004

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1610221

When Carmen Lundy burst on the New York City jazz scene two decades ago, she impressed the critics and began collecting a devoted following of fans.

Seven albums later, she still stuns audiences from St. Louis to Brazil with her phenomenal voice and deep repertoire. Songs from her latest CD, Something to Believe In run the gamut from romantic and soulful to cool and contemporary.

Lundy got an early start on stage. Her mother was the lead singer in a gospel group, and Carmen joined the junior church choir as a young girl. Those gospel roots are evident in the title track, but she switches easily into a contemporary groove with tracks such as “Might as Well Be Spring.”

It’s a family affair for Lundy, whose brother Curtis produced Something to Believe In and plays bass for the band. Lundy wrote six of the 10 tracks herself, and painted the portraits that appear on the inside cover of the CD.