KATE RUSSELL
CHARISMATIC AUSTRALIAN BRED COUNTRY
SINGER/SONGWRITER KEEPS THE ‘POWERFUL STUFF'
COMING WITH “THE MAN HE COULD BE,” THE DEBUT SINGLE FROM HER UPCOMING ALBUM‘KICKING DOWN THE DOOR'
THAT'S GEARING UP FOR A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TARGETING MAJOR COUNTRY STATIONS
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In February, Russell Hits Germany, With Scheduled Performances At The Country Music Messe in Berlin and The Blues Garage In Isernhagen; In March, She Launches A New
Stateside Tour in The Bay Area

Truly living up to the title of her independent debut Powerful Stuff, Sydney, Australia born and bred singer/songwriter Kate Russell met with great success at radio and on the road in 2007.

Her two singles “Talk Is Cheap” and “Better Days” scored airplay on both independent country and AC stations, and in the fall she toured up and down the coast of California and performed as far away as Ft. Lauderdale, where she headlined at their Australian Festival. In addition to playing shows for such major market country stations as KNCI in Sacramento, Russell also did numerous promotional radio interviews at Monterey's KPIG and the Palm Springs based Radio & Records Indicator country station KPLM 106 FM.

The multi-talented performer--who describes her unique vibe as “Country Barbecue Music”--is keeping this exciting career momentum going with more powerful musical stuff in 2008. In February, she is launching another national radio campaign for “The Man He Could Be,” the infectious first single from her upcoming album Kicking Down The Door. The collection is being released by Urunga Records in association with Aspirion Records Group.

The Russell-penned song about a woman who daydreams about the potential her boyfriend could reach with a little work is going for adds at major country outlets across the country. She recently finished shooting the video for the track in Nashville; the clip features an appearance by Randy Khors, who has played with numerous country superstars (Dolly Parton, Hank William, Jr., Dierks Bentley) and is considered by some as “the best dobro player on the planet.” Rachael Ray has chosen Randy Kohr's kitchen, where some of Kate's video was shot, as the backdrop for her cooking show.

On February 6, Russell heads over to Germany for big shows at the Country Music Messe (the largest country music festival in Berlin) and The Blues Garage in Isernhagen. Before returning home to the States, she will be stopping in London for a series of radio interviews. On March 8, she is hosting a pre-CD release party at one of her favorite spots in California Wine Country, the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, California before kicking off her official Kicking Down The Door tour in the Bay Area.

Russell, who co-produced Powerful Stuff with veteran producers Rich Mouser and Clyde Brooks, takes charge as the main producer on the ten tracks of Kicking Down The Door ; Mouser, who has worked with artists like Oleander, Tears For Fears, Dream Theatre, and did tracks for the American Pie 2 soundtrack, is her co-producer. The artist wrote or co-wrote eight of the ten tracks. The collection also features bassist David Hungate, a top Nashville session player who is well known for his work as a member of 70s and 80s pop supergroup Toto.

Russell draws upon a unique array of influences in creating her distinctive musical sound. She uses the phrase “Keith Urban meets Bonnie Raitt” to best describe her blend of Aussie style, soulful vocals, insightful and emotional songwriting and accomplished musicianship. Yet her remarkable lower register vocal timbre has the unmistakable stamp of an even earlier inspiration, Karen Carpenter. Her engineer Mike Bradley once dubbed her “the Alanis Morissette of country music.”

“I've loved traveling to all these new places and meeting and playing for so many different people this past year,” she says. “I like to think of Kicking Down The Door as my way of working out some personal relationship problems and dealing with a lot of different issues, and I think these songs will connect really well with fans of both country and adult contemporary music. I'm excited about keeping everything going strong and taking my career to the next level.”

KATE RUSSELL:
AUSTRALIAN BRED SINGER SONGWRITER AND HER LABEL URUNGA RECORDS SIGN DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH ASPIRION RECORDS
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Russell's Debut Album "Powerful Stuff" Set For Release On October 31st

Singer/songwriter Kate Russell and her label Urunga Records have inked a distribution deal with Nashville based Aspirion Records . Russell's debut album Powerful Stuff is set for release on October 31st. The first single from the CD, also entitled “Powerful Stuff” has been garnering attention at country radio stations across the country.

According to George Collier, President & COO of Aspirion Records, "Aspirion is proud to be working with Kate Russell and are looking forward to helping her project make an impact at retail. We are very excited at the level of professionalism that she & her team bring to the table."

Russell worked with two producers on the album: Rich Mouser (Oleander, Tears For Fears) and Clyde Brooks (Ronna Reeves, Perfect Stranger). She describes her musical sound as “Keith Urban meets Bonnie Raitt.”

Aspirion Records Group is distributed nationally by Navarre Corporation. The company has developed a record label program specifically designed to increase an artist's sphere of influence and public awareness.

KATE RUSSELL
AUSTRALIAN-BRED SINGER/SONGWRITER TO UNLEASH HER
“POWERFUL STUFF” WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE AT
ACM/HOUSE OF BLUES BREAKFAST SHOW, TUESDAY MAY 23

* * *

Russell Also Set To Participate In The ACM Motorcycle Ride On Sunday May 21

* * *

The Recently-Wrapped Music Video For Her Debut Single “Powerful Stuff”-- From Her Urunga Records Album Of The Same Name-- Includes An Appearance By Top Model Rusty Joiner

Gearing up for the highly anticipated release of Powerful Stuff , her debut for Urunga Records, singer/songwriter Kate Russell is set to perform select cuts from the disc on Tuesday May 23rd at an ACM/House of Blues breakfast at the Mandalay Bay hotel. After the performance, she will be participating in a meet'n'greet with the fans in attendance.

Kicking-off her Vegas week in high gear, Russell will also participate in the annual ACM charity Motorcycle Ride on Sunday, May 21.

A compelling new music video for Russell's debut single “Powerful Stuff, “ which  recently wrapped production in Nashville, is set to be serviced to local and national video music channels. Model Rusty Joiner, is prominently featured in the video.

Powerful Stuff , whose debut title track is already being embraced by country radio, is set for release in late July. Russell hopes that Country Music fans will enjoy her  unique brand of dancing, rocking, fun songs she calls ‘country barbecue music.'”

L-R: Rusty Joiner and Kate Russell

Country Cookin' From The Land Down Under:
Aussie-Bred Singer/Songwriter
KATE RUSSELL Set To Unleash Her “Powerful Stuff” On Nashville

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The Single, Which Ships To Major Reporting Country Music Stations April 17, Was Co-Written And Produced By Rich Mouser (Oleander, Tears For Fears, Dream Theatre, American Pie 2)

* * *

Russell's First Full-Length CD, Also Called ‘Powerful Stuff',
Is Scheduled For An Early Summer 2006 Release

With the release of “Powerful Stuff,” her debut single for Urunga Records, Kate Russell is determined to show American country music audiences that Aussies can put more than just shrimp on the Barbie—they can create great “country barbecue music,” too.

Set to ship to major reporting country stations April 17, “Powerful Stuff”—and her debut album of the same name, scheduled for release in early summer—showcases the multi-talented musician, composer, singer and songwriter's wide range of musical gifts. She may be based now in the U.S., but, like her male superstar counterpart Keith Urban—a major influence, naturally--there are equal parts Sydney and Nashville in her musical soul.

“It's the kind of fun, dancing, rocking music you want to hear while you're socializing at a barbecue,” Russell says of the collection, which was produced partly in Los Angeles with Rich Mouser (Oleander, Tears For Fears, Dream Theatre, the American Pie 2 Soundtrack), with additional production in Nashville by Clyde Brooks (Ronna Reeves, Perfect Stranger). Russell, who handles the lion's share of the songwriting throughout the ten-song collection, co-wrote the title track with Mouser.

The recently-shot video for “Powerful Stuff” tells the story of a jet-setting James Bond-like character all the women believe is just that, “powerful stuff.” She adds, “He's the guy always getting off jets and out of fancy cars, hanging out at nightclubs, the guy with all the goods. I think he is, too, and at the end of the song and video, I end up with him. It's a high impact song but also a pretty tune, and fits my edgy voice well.”

Elsewhere, the songs on the album Powerful Stuff are about personal relationships and life experiences—stories, Russell believes, listeners will find instant common ground with. On the provocative ballad “Talk Is Cheap,” she offers a great lesson for women who don't want to believe the worst about their latest love. In part, the lyrics go: “News travels fast on the grapevine…Guess you can't hide three kids and a wife. Well, that's nice…Was I the spice in your life?” On “Bittersweet,” Russell tackles the realm of internet dating from the perspective of a woman who doesn't want to get as deeply involved as her male suitor.

“I think I'm writing the best songs of my life,” she says. “I've reached a place that I want to be with my writing, and I'd like to branch out and write songs for other people, too. Usually in Nashville, everyone is co-writing everything and vocalists are looking for the best outside songs. It's rare when an album comes out with most of the songs being written by the artist, but I have a lot of great stories to tell and am not afraid to share them with the world.”

Co-producer Clyde Brooks says of Russell: “Kate is an artist that brings soul and lyrical imagery to everything that she sings. She is an eclectic singer/songwriter that approaches her artistry from a standpoint of integrity. It has been a pleasure to work with her both musically and personally.”

KATE RUSSELL

Powerful Stuff

Coining the phrase “Country Barbecue Music” to describe her first CD release Powerful Stuff, multi-talented musician, composer, singer and songwriter Kate Russell says, “It's the kind of fun, dancing, rocking music you want to hear while you're socializing at a barbecue.”

A native of Australia whose years in the U.S. have not affected her irresistibly charming accent one bit, Russell is eager to clue Stateside country fans in on a little secret: that barbecues and the contemporary kind of country music she makes are just as popular Down Under as they are in the United States.

Russell draws upon a unique array of influences in creating her distinctive musical sound. She uses the phrase “Keith Urban meets Bonnie Raitt” to best describe her blend of Aussie style, soulful vocals, insightful and emotional songwriting and accomplished musicianship. Yet her remarkable lower register vocal timbre has the unmistakable stamp of an even earlier inspiration, Karen Carpenter.

Powerful Stuff was produced in Los Angeles with Rich Mouser, who has worked with artists like Oleander, Tears For Fears, Dream Theatre, and did tracks for the American Pie 2 soundtrack, with additional production by Clyde Brooks in Nashville. Brooks, who has worked with Curb and Polygram with such artists as Ronna Reeves and Perfect Stranger, is an accomplished Nashville studio drummer with over 6,000 sessions to his credit, including dates with Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakum, George Jones and Little Richard.

“"Kate is an artist who brings soul and lyrical imagery to everything that she sings,” Brooks says. “She is an eclectic singer/songwriter who approaches her artistry from a standpoint of integrity.  It has been a pleasure to work with her both musically and personally.”

The Sydney-born Russell, who credits her parents for passing their deep love for traditional country music on to her, began singing at age five and was soon harmonizing with her grandmother, who sang what Russell calls “light opera.” She started piano lessons around seven, and by the time she was in her teens was playing and singing at local hotels and restaurants.   

Russell remembers playing for the first time in a club in the western suburbs of Sydney. “The next time I played there, it was standing room only,” she says. “This was one of the first times I realized that I could someday make music for a living.”

She carried her passions and growing ambition to the United States, studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. A former marathon runner who once competed in qualifying races for the Olympic trials, and a tri-athlete as well, Russell spent many harsh Beantown winters dedicated to training. “After my runs, I would have sweat frozen to my body,” she says.

A few years later, studying for her degree in Music Composition at a college in North Texas, she performed Top 40 country songs in a band between exams. Russell then moved to San Pedro, California, a small town outside of L.A. where she taught as an adjunct professor at a college, and where she currently gives private vocal and piano instruction. While establishing herself on the West Coast, she also took her upbeat style overseas to entertain troops on a Department of Defense tour of the Pacific Rim, including Hawaii, Southeast Asia and Guam.

Drawing an analogy between songwriting and another longtime passion of hers, surfing (which she once considered turning into a professional career), Russell says, “Surfing is a composition all on its own. It's about watching a wave and designing how you're going to ride it. There's nothing quite like the freedom of surfing on a day that's clear – the sun, the water. It's a peaceful place to be.”

Surfing is perhaps an unusual hobby for someone who credits Patsy Cline, Floyd Cramer, Patty Loveless and Slim Dusty --one of Australia's top-selling country artists of all time--as being among her biggest musical influences, but a simple matter of geography didn't prevent Kate Russell from developing a passion for the classics of country music.

“I'm really excited about people's reactions to the songs on Powerful Stuff, and I'm looking forward to getting out there and performing, which is something I've always been totally at home with,” she says. “I think I'm writing the best songs of my life. I've reached a place that I want to be with my writing, and I'd like to branch out and write songs for other people, too. I also wouldn't mind doing film scores. I enjoy doing any composing, from a simple three-minute song to a symphonic piece. I've never believed in setting limits for myself, and I can't wait to share all I have with the world.”