Single Review: Jazz artist Alexia Gardner pays tribute to an American classic with her take on ‘Miss Celie’s Blues’

Alexia Gardner, one of the foremost British jazz singers, has shared her new single ‘Miss Celie’s Blues,’ taken from her brand-new album, Feeling the Love, Songs of My Mother, Songs of My Father.

British Jamaican singer Alexia Gardner has released her new single, ‘Miss Celie’s Blues.’ The song was taken from the artist’s album Feeling the Love, Songs of My Mother, Songs of My Father, released in 2023.

The album is Alexia’s first record release in 12 years, marking a new chapter in her long and illustrious career. As a performer, Alexia’s talents were first noticed when she was just a teenager, and they led to her touring with the British Cabaret Circuit in England and Wales. She performed in her early days alongside her sister Paula, working under the name ‘High Profile.’

From this initial start, Alexia’s career took exciting turn after exciting turn, with the artist saying yes to some incredible opportunities. She has performed on cruise liners worldwide, been a resident performer in luxury hotels in eastern Asia, sung in front of Heads of State, and lived everywhere from New York City to Shanghai to Switzerland.

From Left to Right: Martin Pizzarelli (bass), Hyuna Park (piano), Alexia Gardner (vocals), Linus Wyrsch (tenor sax/clarinet), George Gray (drums)

Amid this whirlwind journey, Alexia has stayed grounded by constantly returning to the music that made her. She has recorded five albums to date, including two live albums. Her last album, A Little Closer, focused on some of the peaks and pitfalls of constantly being on the move.

Feeling the Love, Songs of My Mother, Songs of My Father sees Alexia Gardner return, once again, to the songs of her youth and those that informed her musical development. While the songs on the album come from a broad range of genres – you’ll find jazz, pop, soul, film-musical numbers, and gospel in here – they’re connected by the fact that they resonated personally with the artist performing them. In the album’s title, Alexia Gardner clarifies how she sings the tracks that she considers these “love” songs – romantic love, familial love, and love for the memories that the lyrics can conjure.

‘Miss Celie’s Blues’ offers a rich, sultry take on the 1985 song. Written by Quincy Jones for The Color Purple – and originally performed by the vocalist Táta Vega – ‘Miss Celie’s Blues’ is one of the most acclaimed film songs in recent history. In Alexia`s version of the song, the artist replaces the saloon blues and ragtime of the original version with a clearer-cut slow-jazz style. It works very well, with the song sounding distinct from every other cover you’ll likely listen to. And even with this style, Alexia still manages to embody the character Shug – who sings the song in the film – as she tries to persuade her soul “sister” Celie that she is a kindred spirit.