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Kathy Phillips Named September “Best Vocalist Of The Month”
With Her Song “Roses Need The Rain”
By Dale Kawashima
Kathy Phillips, a talented pop/AC singer & writer based
in Pickering, ON, Canada (near Toronto), has won the September SingerUniverse
“Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for her performance of her song
“Roses Need The Rain” (co-written by Al Kasha). This song will be included on
her upcoming 10-song album project, which has just been completed.
Kathy Phillips
“Roses Need The Rain” is an appealing, melodic midtempo
song, which provides a terrific showcase for Phillips’ clear, expressive lead and
harmony vocals. This recording, which was skillfully produced by her husband
Chris Phillips, features a flowing arrangement which offers a nice mix of acoustic
guitar and piano tracks. “Roses Need The Rain” is one of 10 songs Phillips
co-wrote with veteran hit songwriter Al Kasha, who is known for co-writing two
Oscar-winning songs: “The Morning After” (from the movie The Poseidon
Adventure) and “We May Never Love Like This Again” (from The Towering
Inferno).
Phillips was born in Toronto and grew up in the nearby city
of Scarborough. When she was nine she learned to play flute, and in high school
she began focusing on singing and performing. Phillips joined a vocal group
called The Girls Next Door, which won first place in a Toronto talent
competition. She also started writing songs during high school.
For college, Phillips attended York University in Toronto, where she subsequently graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, majoring
in both music and graphic arts. While at York, she performed in theatre
productions and sang in the choir. Notably, it was during this period that Phillips
also became a studio session singer, and this led to her recording her song “I
Wish,” which was released as a single by Robbins Entertainment (a prominent
dance/pop label).
The success of “I Wish” helped Phillips land a TV commercial
gig, and soon after she found steady work singing on cardio workout CDs for
Somerset Entertainment. Then in early 2006, her studio work caught the
attention of fitness guru Richard Simmons, who hired Phillips to sing dozens of
songs for his Super Sweatin’ CD and DVD series.
Kathy Phillips, dancing with fitness guru Richard Simmons.
“In July 2007 Richard Simmons introduced me to [songwriter]
Al Kasha, and we really hit it off,” recalled Phillips. “Over several months
time, we wrote 10 songs at Al’s home in Los Angeles. Then I would return home
to Toronto to record the songs with my husband Chris, who produced my album.”
Besides “Roses Need The Rain,” other key cuts include the ballad “Closer Than A
Prayer” and the uptempo pop/rock cut, “Missing Me.”
Now with the album completed, Phillips is looking forward to
releasing it soon. “I’m excited about promoting this album, and getting more exposure,”
she said. “I’m also hoping to place the songs in film & TV, and shop for a
label deal. In addition, I’m currently playing gigs in Toronto, and I’m
planning to come to Los Angeles in November and do shows there.”
In addition, here are four, talented vocalists/artists who complete our Top Five Vocalists honorees list for this month's competition, with their credits, plus their e-mail and website links. You can listen to their songs by double-clicking the music players below.
Bunmi Adeoye
"Stop Lyin'." (acoustic pop). Written and performed by Bunmi Adeoye of Toronto, ON, Canada.
"Me And My Girls." (pop/R&B). Performed by Sara Diamond (13-years-old) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Written by Sara Diamond, PJ Bianco, Chris Burke-Gaffney.