The Deli caught wind of Rachel Pearl earlier this July at NAMM, where she charmed an afternoon crowd with her jazz-influenced pop (accompanied by Bakithi Kumalo, the bass player on Paul Simon’s "Graceland.") The fiery-haired songstress has a handle on both ends of the spectrum; she’s capable of strumming a quirky little ditty on her ukelele or belting an sparkly, auto-tuned, area-worthy piece. The start of this month saw the release of her single "Dodgeball." While it is a freakin’ cute track, the clever language and interesting instrumentation (and the branding. Oh, think of the branding.) reveal Pearl’s very shrewd handle on pop as an artform. The thing has more hooks than a Reno truck stop. Pearl’s personality and inclination for pushing the envelope with beguiling results makes her an artist to keep an eye on. Whatever she cooks up is going to be sweet.
Rachel Pearl is hosting a series of open mics at the Rutledge. More information can be found HERE. -Terra James-Jura