Fascinating

Since we are on reality shows today how about the classic bad decision that the voters on American Idol make every year.
This year of course it has to be Elise Testone.
She has been my favorite from the get go, you can tell she was born to sing the blues.
Maybe she was too old for the teenybopper voters?
But this young lady has class with a capital Blues Singer style.

One of her amazing highlights on Idol, she tears up this Lerd Zepplin classic.

Whole Lotta Love

And on a night when the judges showed their complete lack of knowledge here is her classic take on a classic by Jimi.
Bold As Love

While the judges unanimously loved her performance of the Queen anthem, they were split when it came to Testone's second song, the Jimi Hendrix classic "Bold As Love." But for anyone familiar with the Charleston music scene, the performance was perhaps the coolest moment of the show since she was joined by Wallace Mullinax, her bandmate in the Freeloaders. Last year, Elise Testone and the Freeloaders received the City Paper Music Award for Funk/Soul/R&B Band of the Year, thanks in part to Testone's vocals and Mullinax's ax skills. He's clearly one of the best guitarists in town, and onstage last week in Hollywood, he effortlessly channeled Hendrix on a red Fender. [Charlestown City Paper]

And then Billy Joel gets the Elise treatment, and great it was.
Vienna

Even teamed up with Phillip Phillips in the sometimes ubiquitous, but not this time, duets she pulls it out on a great song that is normally not in her style.
Somebody That I Used to Know

[Charleston City Paper]

Local combo the Freeloaders — guitarist Wallace Mullinax, bassist Oliver Goldstein, and drummer Jack Burg — often collaborate with vocalist Elise Testone on a funky mix of soul, jazz, and rock. The band and vocalist hook up this week for an elegantly groovy tribute show. They’ll pay homage to the music and stylings of the late Amy Winehouse on Tues. Sept. 20 at the Pour House, performing of Winehouse’s album Back to Black in it’s entirety. The Freeloaders close the event with a set or covers and originals. The full backline includes keyboardist Trey Cooper, guitarist Adam Fallen, drummer Ron Wiltrout, and backing vocalists Diane Fabiano and Shannon Cook. Guest horn players Simon Harding, Cameron Harder-Handel, and Ben Hawes will be on hand as well.