Record albums, 45s, and the like, that would forever excite, inspire and transform an eight-year-old, Virginia born, North Carolinianly reared, middle child, Aubrey Barnes, into the virtuoso vocalist he innately expresses himself to be.
“Aubrey Barnes is a stunning vocalist and a deeply powerful performer. He will make you want to live more fully, love, laugh and cry. Hearing Aubrey sing is nothing short of receiving a spiritual transmission.
Asked, of his vocal style, Aubrey Barnes spoke these words; “My vocal style is malleable and can shift within the song or from song to song, yet the overarching sentiment in my vocal style is the ‘feeling’ or ‘soul’ of the piece…”
Mr. Barnes admits that the key element, in his band of instrumentalists, for his debut CD project, entitled, “Owens & Aubrey: Embraceable You,” is his pianist. And to Barnes’ own delight and reverence, his pianist is none other than the legendary veteran pianist, to the stars, the late Mr. Frank Owens, of Washington, D.C..
Aubrey Barnes, an East Carolina University Graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in music and drama, is the recipient of the “Outstanding Senior Award,” from his Alma mater. The svelte and sophisticated Aubrey Barnes will sing powerful, elusive and moving, haunting and never to be forgotten songs from The Great American Songbook, and beyond, during his classic songfest, complete with his idiosyncratically affecting, and overwhelmingly masterful vocal renderings. “To see Aubrey Barnes performing is breathtaking and unnervingly sensual. Not only is his tone sublime but his phrasing is acutely personal and captivating… He is one of the most authentic and musically articulate vocalists that I have ever recorded. The most prized gems are the rarest…and Mr. Barnes, definitely, belongs in that category…” Ellen Christi, Recording Engineer and Music Programmer