| Annie's music has been described by many as a cross between R&B, Soul and Pop. She's traveled the east coast opening for several national acts and her band boasts some of the best players in the DC/Baltimore area; Steve Sidley (musical director and all instruments on recordings), Avon Lucas (bass), Benjie Porecki (keys) and Earl Ivey (drums). Just listen to what the critics are saying about the Annie Sidley Band... The Washington Post Weekend Section May 5, 2006 ANNIE
SIDLEY "Diamond in the Sand" Even so, Sidley often turns in her most affecting performances when she appears to be holding on for dear life. That's certainly the case on the back-to-back tracks "What Are We Fighting 4?" and "Bitter River." The latter, a mournfully yearning piano ballad, quietly stands out, displaying both the power and beauty of Sidley's voice. Other cuts, including the hypnotic coda "Marrakesh," reveal cross-cultural influences, but because Sidley's strong R&B ties are always evident, she seldom sounds as if she's drifting too far from shore. Her husband, Steve Sidley, plays almost all the instruments here, though some of the colorfully orchestrated arrangements, particularly the one he tailored for "I Wait," cleverly conceal his multitasking. With the help of producer Doug Derryberry, he has fashioned a welcome sonic upgrade. -- Mike Joyce Appearing Monday at Blues Alley. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Check out what Iflow.com wrote about Annie's new CD Diamond in the Sand! The Washington City Paper Online Interview October 8, 2004
The Washington Post Review of "History" (Mike Joyce, Sept. 15, 2001) "Annie Sidley can sing circles around most of the competition in pop. But as "History" proves, she's got better things to do. While there's no mistaking her vocal power and range, Sidley is clearly more interested in creating moods than scoring points. In an era when pop vocalists routinely splinter lyrics into shrill microsyllabic bits, this is refreshing to say the least, and it accounts for why "History" unfolds with considerable ease and charm. Soul music, the vintage or contemporary kind, is Sidley's forte. She's featured here in a series of cozy settings, performing songs in which she sounds alternately comforting (Come to Me), heartbroken (I Believe), smitten (Mad Love), troubled (World Gone Crazy). She wrote or co-wrote - mostly with her husband, Steve Sidley - all of the songs, and they showcase the beauty and reach of her soprano without devolving into silly and flamboyant exercises. Still, it would be nice to hear these lean, funk-flavored arrangements augmented by a more expansive and textured sound. Sidley's vocal gifts, after all, easily merit the additional expense. The Washington Post (Fairfax Section) LIVE! (Marianne Meyer August 2002) Annie Sidley Band 7 pm Sunday Lake Anne Village Center Plaza, Reston Calling from New York City, just days after playing to a packed house at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, singer Annie Sidley is still buzzing with excitement. "It was always my dream", the Maryland-based powerhouse says, "to play Kennedy Center." There's a slight pause. "Although right now I'm looking at Carnegie Hall..." Then she laughs, "It doesn't hurt to dream big." Don't underestimate her. The Annie Sidley Band is having a very good year. Earlier this summer, the group played for a record crowd at Safeway's National Capital BBQ Battle and shared the stage with rock-and-roll legend Joan Jett. That crowd was tens of thousands deep, but you'll be able to get up close and personal with this delightful diva when she and her band play at the lovely Lake Anne Village Center in Reston on Sunday evening. Soulful and funky, with an impressive voice and high-energy stage presence, Sidley has been compared with such major talents as Aretha Franklin and Chaka Kahn. Nominated twice (in 1993 and 1995) for Best R&B Vocalist and Best Song by the Washington Area Music Association, the former student of opera is also an accomplished writer, sharing compositional duties with her husband, Steve. He's the musical director, co-producer and co-writer of the original tunes on the most recent Annie Sidley CD, "History." He also plays bass in her current live group. With her five-piece outfit - also featuring Buddy Spear on guitar, Earl Ivey on drums, Scott Paddock on sax and David Sobel on keyboards - Sidley's dynamic shows generally offer tracks from her two CD's ("Other Side of the Sun" was her debut), some rhythm and blues, funk, ballads and oldies. You can get a taste with MP3 samples available through her Website, www.anniesidley.com. This is a great opportunity to catch a local heroine on the verge of big things. The band has clocked extensive road hours from New York to Louisiana, opening for national acts such as War, Chuck Brown and Kenny Wayne Sheppherd. Sidley's most recent single, "World Gone Crazy," has charted on many Internet outlets, and she's about to launch a radio campaign to bolster East Coast radio airplay. A club remix of "Mad Love" is in the works and a new tune, "Diamond in the Sand," is due this winter. A bigger label deal would appear to be the next step. See her now and say "I told you so" later. The Washington Times The Passion of Annie Sidley (Paul Stelter October 2002) "I kiss them and then go to work", says Bethesda resident Annie Sidley of her three young children. Work is the Annie Sidley Band, which brings its R&B funk to Washington's Annapolis Grill Saturday night. Miss Sidley, a soulful soprano, has been a professional singer for 15 to 20 years. Most of that career, including opening for such acts as WAR and Chuck Brown, has been spent with her "partner in music and life" Steve Sidley (he's the band's bassist). "I liked pop and country more growing up, but I really found my voice when I started listening to Aretha Franklin and James Brown," Miss Sidley says. These days she listens to Jill Scott and Lauryn Hill. She says she's not a soul singer, though, but a "singer that just sings with feeling and passion." "I would say that I am pop. I'm more adult contemporary now just because my audience is 25 and up." Vocally, Miss Sidley does jump a few boundaries on her second self-released album, "History." But what's most satisfying about "History" isn't her vocal strength but that she rarely expends it on diva-esque gymnastics that overpower the songs or the band. The opening songs such as "Come To Me" have supportive comforting lyrics like "I wish you joy and I wish you strength." On that song she uses a clear soprano but easily switches to a lower register on "Photograph" and provides her own cooing and call-and-response backup vocals. Strength during abandonment outlines later songs such as "History" and "No More." I wrote a lot within a two-week period", she says. But not all the songs are autobiographical, Miss Sidley says. Although her husband gets extremely funky onstage (as he did in their show Aug. 5 at the Kennedy Center), he writes Broadway-style torch songs such as "More Than Love." The album's sparse instrumentation points to the band's solo-filled live shows. During the three sets at the Grill, expect to hear a lot of "History" plus Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" and other covers. ("I'll throw them a bone every once in a while", she promises.) Her big message to Washingtonians: "You guys need to stay out later and support local music." Just be sure to put the youngsters to bed first. New Press from Washington Post Alexandria/Arlington Section: Thursday, November 8, 2001; Page A16 ·· Who: Annie Sidley Band ·· Where: Whitlow's on Wilson ·· When: 10 p.m. Saturday Soulful and funky, with an impressive voice and high-energy stage presence, Annie Sidley is a local talent who has been compared to divas such as Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion and Chaka Kahn. As a Maryland mom with four kids, she can no doubt handle the weary woman blues as well. Nominated twice (in 1993 and '95) for Best R&B Vocalist and Best Song by the Washington Area Music Association, Sidley is also an accomplished writer, sharing compositional duties with her husband, Steve, who's musical director, co-producer and co-writer of the original tunes on the new Annie Sidley Band CD, "History." To celebrate the album's late-September arrival, Sidley and her band -- Buddy Speir on guitar, Lorenzo Sands on bass, Nick Halsey on drums and David Sobel on keys -- will pop into Whitlow's this weekend for a two-set Sunday night stand. Expect a professional and potentially wild show that likely will include new tunes, tracks from Sidley's first CD ("Other Side of the Sun"), some rhythm and blues, funk and ballads, and a sprinkling of oldies for good measure. You can get a preview with MP3 samples available through the official Web site www.anniesidley.com. This is a great time to catch a local heroine who could well be on the verge of big things. The band has clocked extensive road hours from New York to Louisiana, opening for national acts such as WAR, Chuck Brown and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The booking dates for 2002 hint at major mileage to come -- Florida, California, Arizona and Georgia. New offers for management and a bigger label are coming in, too, and the former student of opera plans several meetings soon to decide who will help in the next chapter of the Annie Sidley Band. -- Marianne Meyer The
Gazette by Chris Slattery Staff Writer Oct. 11, 2000 Bethesda mother of four by day, red hot rhythm and blues mama at night - that's the secret life of Annie Sidley. While some moms may harbor daydreams of divahood, Sidley is doing more than just tapping her feet to the background music while she's standing on line at Giant. Annie Sidley rocks. She's a singer and a songwriter whose Wammie-nominated CD, "Other Side of the Sun," showcases her bluesy voice and soulful delivery, and whose Saturday night performance at Bethesda's Rock Bottom Brewery should give the whole neighborhood an earful. "I describe my music as a blend of funk, pop and rhythm and blues," she says, in a speaking voice that retains just a hint of the honeyed raspiness that drives her songs. "Writing-wise I'm highly influenced by Stevie Wonder and Prince, and some alternative artists too, like Peter Gabriel." Having such a wide range of inspiration is crucial for an artist who, at the moment, spends a lot of time crafting songs for others to sing. Not only is Sidley trying to make it as a singer; she's also working on a publishing deal. It is a lot of work for anyone. For a woman with four children to raise, it's a dream that balances precariously atop a life that is extraordinarily busy. "It leaves me about zero time," she laughs, referring to her life with a teenaged nephew and three children younger than 5. "I'm very busy with my kids when I'm not performing, and I consider myself a full-time musician." That she manages it all with such a plomb is amazing; Sidley credits her husband Steve Sidley of the band known as Sam's House. She calls him her partner in music and in life, the person with whom she can co-write and the producer and arranger of her songs. "We're very supportive of each other," Sidley says. And while that certainly seems to be the case, it's a fact that her love affair with music predates her love for her husband - predates just about everything. Growing up all over "I was born performing," Sidley says. "I was 2 when I started doing plays, and I can't remember a time when I wasn't singing." She says that while there weren't any musicians in her family, her mother "is a connoisseur of music" who listened to contemporary music and older, more classical recordings. Sidley herself is a fan of the classics, especially opera, which she studied and considered as a career path before opting for rhythm and blues. "It was either a classical career or R&B," she deadpans, "and I chose the funk life." It was an exciting life; no matter how else it's characterized. Sidley was born at Andrews Air Force Hospital, the daughter of a Navy man. She insists her nomadic childhood contributed to the easy way she takes to the stage. "I grew up all over, and it made me get out of my comfort zone," she explains. "When you have to make new friends every couple of years, you either go inward or outward. "I was already outward!" While she's comfortable joking about the ramifications of her on-the-move childhood, Sidley appreciates the cultural influences she gained by living in unusual places like Alaska. And now that she's grown up, Sidley has no doubt about which part of the world she finds the most attractive. "I'm a Bethesda girl," she exclaims. "I love this area!" She says she always thought of Washington, D.C., as home, and she made a beeline for the region after graduating from a Florida high school in 1985. It was a 20-hour bus trip, Sidley recalls, the longest of her life. Since her arrival that day, she hasn't lived anywhere else. Which makes her, of course, a wife and mother with a Suburban in the driveway. That she sings like a cross between Lisa Stansfield, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, with occasional ascension to Aretha-like heights, may set her slightly apart from the other moms in the carpool. "My neighbors flip out when they come and see me," she admits. "I'm in the park with my kids in the day, and then [when I perform] there's a lot of energy, emotion and fun - like a party where I'm the hostess. The hostess with the mostest, that's me." She pauses a moment. "I guess I like the shock factor of it all." The Annie Sidley Band, featuring David Sobel on keyboards, Nick Halsey on drums, Kevin Jackson on bass, Kevin Powe on guitar and Annie Sidley on lead vocals, will perform at Rock Bottom Brewery, 7900 Norfolk Ave. in Bethesda on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Admission is free. Call 301-652-1311. AT THE BAYOU, ANNIE SIDLEY'S LATE GLOW By Mike Joyce Monday, July 3, 1995 ; Page C05 By the time singer Annie Sidley trotted onstage at the Bayou Friday night, it was past midnight and what was left of the audience seemed to consist largely of her friends and family. To her credit, though, Sidley acted as if the place was packed and nothing short of a full-tilt performance would do. Wearing shorts and a sequined vest, Sidley first tried to rouse the crowd's spirits by radiating as much energy as she could -- bouncing around the stage, looking a bit like one of exercise guru Richard Simmons's disciples. Her band, a class outfit well versed in soul, funk and rock, provided the requisite pulse, but it wasn't until Sidley settled down that her considerable promise became apparent. Some of the ballads she drew from her new album, "Other Side of the Sun," required her to balance her vocal power and finesse, and in doing so, Sidley firmly underscored what she's learned from listening to Aretha Franklin and other accomplished soul singers. Some of the most tunefully appealing songs were written by guitarist Alan Scott. At the end of the show, Scott joined Sidley band's for a brief duet and an extended jam that quickly achieved the energy level that Sidley vainly strived for earlier in the evening. The Washington Times Washington Weekend Section Ray Lane September 21, 2000 Closer to home is another soaring talent, this one unknown but worthy of consideration. She is Annie Sidley, a mother of three children still in diapers, who plays tonight at Bethesda's Barking Dog. Hers is delicious music, mostly songs that she has written. There are ballady things, torch songs, whinny "I'm in Love" stuff, and very sophisticated compositions that show off to great effect what can only be called a gorgeous voice. It all started at Andrews Air Force Base, where she was born Annie Roach 33 years ago into a military family. All of them came from Prince George's County, where her great-grandmother sang at St. Jerome's Church in Hyattsville and her Mom grew up in Berwyn Heights. "We lived all over, places like Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, California," says the Bethesda Mom, "and I guess I loved music. I'd listen to Seals and Croft with my Mom, the folk music of that era. At age 2, my Mom says I was singing and performing for the family." By age 15, in fact, Ms. Sidley got her first paying gig in a rock band. "I can't even remember the name of it, it was so long ago," she says with a laugh. "But I've been working at it ever since." OLD TOWN CRIER Hot Licks & Kool Picks by: Diane Gibbs and Sky Shaw MARCH, 2001 Perhaps much of Bethesda, Maryland isn't aware of one of its most precious natural resources, the voice of Annie Sidley. Here is a vocalist and band worth seeking out. Both excel at what they do. Annie has that enviable crystal clear professional voice with an impressive range. Some other reviewers have said she sounds like Lisa Stansfield, Whitney Houston, or Celine Dion. We don't hear that, but we like what we hear. Annie Sidley, as well as having a gold mine of a voice, is effective on stage, able to hold the audience and create mega-energy in the room. We like the versatility of Sidley and her musicians. They do R&B, funk, soul, ballads, and oldies, and not every song sounds alike, which unfortunately is the case with many groups. The Annie Sidley Band musicians are Stanley Cooper on guitar, Wayne Davis on bass, Nick Halsey on drums, and David Sobel on keys. This band is superbly tight, never seeming to miss a beat with flawless timing. OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN, Sidley's CD, was nominated for a Wammie. In '93 and '95 the Washington Area Music Association nominated her for "Best R&B Vocalist," and "Best Song." We like Other Side of the Sun because it shifts moods and memories within the listener. Here again, not every song sounds alike. Annie, being a prolific songwriter, wrote seven of the CD cuts, and three were written by Alan Scott. Their originals stick in your memory. Players on the CD are Steve Sidley, Doug Derryberry, and Alan Scott on guitar; Steve Sidley on keys; Scott Young on sax; George Jones on bass; and Earl Ivey and Roderick Johnson on drums. In the song "These Four Walls" one hears a slow, deliberate exploration of love lost, passing guitar chords at just the right moment, the perfect floating sax of Scott Young, and the build-up to a recurrent hook which uses the three words of the title insistently like a throbbing tympani. Whew! The song makes an even greater impact as Annie throws the haunting last verse back with a fierce moan that evokes passion and sadness. Even the funkified up-tempo songs carry their message with power, but her slow anthems seem to bear the most weight. Top notch is what we say about the CD audio quality and production. The mixing is as smooth as butter. Steve Sidley, Doug Derryberry, and John Alagia are master mixologists. Annie attributes a great part of her professionalism and success to her husband and collaborator, Steve Sidley. He produced and helped arrange the CD and he, as well as Annie, writes songs. Steve's own band, Sam's House, is also excellent and has been around for awhile. Check it out at www.samshouse.com. Annie and her band are working on their second CD called HISTORY. This one will include some Hip-Hop, as well as R&B and Funk. HISTORY could likely be their bridge to the big leagues. The list of venues and festivals is long. Annie has opened for name acts such as WAR and has played many clubs and concerts here and in numerous eastern states. Quite impressive for a young mother of four! Fans and audiences are glad Annie Sidley took the funk-soul-R&B road because she once studied and considered OPERA for her life work! Check Annie out at www.anniesidley.com to see her gigs past, present, and future, and get on her mailing list. Treat your ear to her sound too. |
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