Fight or Flight

1	What About Me? 3:57
2	Lead Me Closer 4:02
3	Hooked 3:53
4	I Don't Want You to Love Me 3:47
5	Fight or Flight? (Help Me, Help You) 3:18
6	I Don't Think I Want to Know 5:45
7	Let's Call a Truce Tonight 3:47
8	Rapunzel 3:39
9	How Can You Get Along Without Me? 2:53
10	Enough 3:28
11	Who Knows 4:04
12	What About Me? Bonus Track 4:42

Barnes & Noble

These days, the world is more hospitable to singers who see no reason to confine themselves to a defining musical genre. The Ottawa-based vocalist and songwriter Kellylee Evans can now join such sisters in song as Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Liz Wright, and Diana Krall in their open embrace of the mingled worlds of jazz, R&B, and pop. Heady company to find herself in, but the extravagantly talented Evans can stand proudly alongside these new vocal icons. (Her own description of her inclusive sound sums it up nicely: “Sade meets Erykah Badu meets Sarah Vaughan meets Norah Jones -- in the Caribbean.") With a voice as strong and forthright as her own best songs, Evans grabs a listener’s attention and refuses to let go –- there’s a palpable sense of personal urgency to Fight or Flight that renders it as compelling as it is enjoyable. A runner-up in the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, Evans uses her intrinsic jazz chops in the service of tunes that aren’t primarily jazz oriented. While each song is imbued with her vocal power and smarts, Evans makes sure that the songs themselves remain the focus. That way we experience the best of both worlds: gripping new material, including "What About Me?," "Let's Call a Truce Tonight," and "I Don't Think I Want to Know," married to superb performances. Simply put, a stunning debut that promises great things to come. William Pearl

All Music Guide

As the extraordinarily stark and emotional, crystal-clear voiced Toronto native emerges as the new standard of neo-soul/jazz in the early 2000s, much ado will be made of her greatest professional calling card -- winning second place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition. But that's just window dressing to two powerful life events which inspired Kellylee Evans to share her gifts for crisp storytelling in multiple styles with the world: the death of her mother, and nearly dying herself from an allergic reaction. Ironically, her torment is the indie music world's gain, as she proves herself on par, and even at times, surpassing contemporaries like Lizz Wright, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and even India.Arie in the realm where the sterling voice glows amidst sensual and soulful atmospheres. The connection isn't just hype; Carlos Henderson, who produced the first two tracks on Fight or Flight, the seductive folk/soul gem "What About Me?" and the yearning and jazzy "Lead Me Closer," has previously worked with Wright and Badu. What sets Evans apart from some of these other young greats is the grand variety of rhythms she glides over effortlessly. There's the old-school soul meets reggae and African-flavored percussion of "I Don't Want You to Love Me"; the hypnotic Brazilian vibe of the title track; the romantic accordion and "castanet"-laced Latin vibe of the witty "Rapunzel"; and the simmering blues sear of "I Don't Think I Want to Know." The fascinating thing is that Evans could easily have done a whole collection of more straightforward trio jazz dates like "How Can You Get Along Without Me?" and still have won hearts everywhere. Evans herself likes to peg her vibe as "urban jazz" but no turn of phrase can do this work of extraordinary soul and depth proper justice. Jonathan Widran