Copasetic Is

Behold! A brand new soul treat - Blues & Soul This album gets album of the month honor because it reminds the majors how great Indie label soul music has been leading the way these past years. Mikelyn is bending the music to suit what she does and she positively glows. If only radio peeps would play tracks from this alongside Joss and Corinne, then we'd be getting somewhere. - Chris Wells, Echoes Magazine "It's about damn time! I have been following Mikelyn for a long time and I am so happy she made this CD. She has a pure and inviting voice, and she really shines on this project. - Brian Bromberg Off the bat, her name may seem unfamiliar, but as soon as you place her recently released DOME U.K. debut COPASETIC IS into your CD player, you will not only become familiar with her subtle artistry, but stunned by this “artist’s ” vocal dexterity and ability to breathe life into a song. At the end of a focused listening session, you’ll wish there was more. A native woman with strong ties to the region of the world known as Cape Verde (both sets of grandparents hail from the Fogo and Brava Islands of Cape Verde), Mikelyn grew up listening to such Blues, Jazz, and R&B icons as Billie Holiday, James Taylor, Astrud Gilberto, Dinah Washington, and Burt Bacharach – all of whom inform her vocal style even now. “I remember listening to Billie Holiday in the house my parents bought after we relocated to Boston when I was seven-years-old, and singing along with the record,” says Mikelyn as she smiles at the memory. Her unique ancestry proved to be a major influence as well. “Back home at Cape Verde, women played a major role in funeral processions and often sang these incredibly mournful songs in the Fado-style, which is special to Cape Verde. Fado is a broken dialect of Portuguese and it’s sound definitely has jazz inflections,” offers Mikelyn. But it was Diana Ross’s riveting performance at the Boston Garden that Mikelyn saw when she was 16-years old which captured her heart and mind. Right there and then Mikelyn decided she wanted to devote her life to creating music. “I’ve always loved the music of the 60’s and ‘70’s,” opines Mikelyn. “It was crazy with funk, and very melodic, yet still filled with a sense of freedom, and that’s the place I wanted to get to with Copasetic Is.” After graduating from Boston’s renowned Emerson College, Mikelyn moved to Los Angeles to work with Lee Richards whom she met after a performance at Emerson College’s Independent Video Awards show. Richards invited her to record a remake of “Sideshow” (originally recorded by Blue Magic). It was the very first time she ever entered a recording studio. “We recorded with a full orchestra, and it is an experience I’ll never forget,” says Mikelyn. She remained in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, performing in several plays including “Psyche Games” directed by Art Evans; and “Fight The Good Fight,” which was directed by Chip Fields and also starred Kim Fields, Theresa Randle, and vocalist Rahsaan Patterson. She also made on-going appearances on television as a recurring character on the Martin Lawrence series, and later appeared in the HBO production of The Dorothy Dandridge Story which starred Halle Berry and the SONY Pictures classic Tap starring Gregory Hines. Mikelyn has also recorded and/or performed with musical “household names” such as Bill Withers, Barry White, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and producer David Foster. She was also a member of the musical group “By All Means”. The group shared great success in the United States, Europe and Japan with cd releases on ISLAND and MOTOWN entitled “By All Means,” “It’s Real,” and “Beyond A Dream.”. With the group, Mikelyn served as co-writer and as the only female member, they recorded a well-received remake of the Marvin Gaye hit “Let’s Get It On.” Mikelyn has lent her talents as a songwriter on various projects such as Rahsaan Patterson’s self-named debut album, Patteron’s Love In Stereo, his critically-acclaimed After Hours, and his most recent release Wines and Spirits for which she co-wrote the track “It Feels Good,” and sings background. Along with Rahsaan and producer Jamey Jazz, she co-wrote the hit single and titled CD “Back to the World” for Tevin Campbell and “So Hot” for the movie “Two Can Play That Game”. She has also worked on projects with Maxwell, Earth Wind and Fire, Kirk Franklin and James Day. As she was putting the finishing touches on her DOME release, Mikelyn is also enjoying and continues to enjoy success as the commercial singing voice for Levi Jeans, Uncle Ben’s Rice, Burger King, Nissan and Nike. In 2006 she finished a successful run of the hit play “Crowns” as well as opening for the talented Frank McComb at the Café de Paris in London. Mikelyn Roderick sings songs that reflect the wonders of love, joy and this journey we call life. With COPASETIC IS Mikelyn brings a welcoming return to grown-up music that’s elegant, layered, rich, soothing and most of all inviting.