Kelly McMichael is a Peterborough, Ontario-born, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, beatmaker and producer, who has been busy writing, releasing and performing music as a solo artist and through a number of different projects including RENDERS, Rouge, Gentleman Reg, Thelma & Louise and Kelly McMichael and The Gloss among others.
McMichael’s solo debut Waves is slated for a May 20, 2021 release, and the album’s latest single “Stepping Stone” is a vibey and carefully crafted synthesis of Muscle Shoals soul and 70s AM rock featuring shimmering Rhodes, a slow-burning and steady groove, a country soul-like guitar solo, a soaring string arrangement by Maria Peddle and McMichael’s soulful crooning. Sonically, the song — to my ears, at least — brings the likes of Natalie Prass to mind, with the song being rooted in deeply personal experience.
“My new single ‘Stepping Stone’ questions how the pursuit of success in the music industry can impact the nature of a relationship,” McMichael explains. “I’m reaching out for understanding while shifting through themes of ambition, loyalty and jealousy.”