Rachel Williams
Photography: Dan Busler
Rachel is a mulit-disciplinary artist whose work centers around the voice. She is a singer, actor, writer and voice teacher.
Rachel is a powerhouse, versatile vocalist with an fiery, animated stage presence. Her international touring band The Claudettes is represented by Pravda Records. She is a sought-after private voice teacher whose students work in every facet of contemporary commercial music from major international tours to local work. She was recently a faculty member of Somatic Voicework for 3 years. She has performed in multiple different musical genres with various bands and musicals, acted in film, plays, and sketch comedy. She currently has an original musical in development at Northwestern University and is deep into writing her second album with The Claudettes.
Live shows with The Claudettes
Recorded
Music
Press Quotes
The Aftermath
With the Claudettes
Garage Glamour
Whole Album
Schizomusica blog
"A statuesque powerhouse of a vocalist named Rachel Williams...an incredible Rachel Williams-JohnPrimer duet...almost gothic heights...haunting film noir...smooth Sade-ness...and the clanging guitars and piano of 'Whirlpool' that form GARAGE GLAMOUR’s centerpiece...Here Williams reaches into the dimly lit corner of some hundred-year-old Chicago juke joint and pulls out everyone from Etta James to Aretha Franklin to Patti Labelle....Don’t mess with her, man!"
Buscadero
Italy
"Fun but also dark. Magnetic but also danceable....The great revelation, however, is Williams....GARAGEGLAMOUR does many things, all different: it scratches, it teases, it traverses the world with a strangeelegance....When you encounter albums like GARAGE GLAMOUR, the only thing to do is havefaith."
“An amazing vocalist in Rachel Williams who more often than not channels the great Julie Driscoll, aswell as Grace Slick occasionally….Much of it reminds me of those rare early ‘80s singles that didn't quitefall into electronica or new wave. Think Mari Wilson, Belle Stars and Lene Lovich. It's a big record andmaybe that's where the word cabaret comes into play. What I love most about GARAGE GLAMOUR isthat in just a little over 33 minutes, the band manages to cover so much musical ground, I felt like I waslistening to a brilliant ‘80s mixtape.”
Blue Notes and Conversations
John Muller
“Be brave enough to enter The Claudettes' voodoo den, a place where jazz, blues, and cabaret meet in asultry, mysterious and theatrical setting…..I was captivated, mesmerized and entranced….Each andevery song is a sonic roller coaster: wildly unpredictable and exciting….Each member is important to thiswondrous tsunami of sound….Williams is indeed a powerhouse singer…her jaw-dropping versatility isriveting and unforgettable….GARAGE GLAMOUR doesn't just entertain—it fascinates. It's a journey offthe beaten path that is well worth taking.”
The Alternate Root
“The Claudettes may get pinned as a Neo-Soul band but there’s so much more to their music. Athrowback to a 1980s vibe ripe for a John Hughes soundtrack, a danceable, and at times, tripped outNew Wave band, the Claudettes stretch definitions, and expectations, with gusto….Williams commandswith stunning vocals…sultry and sexy…drifting and dreamy…ready to score a jaunt through the theatredistrict of any major city while also ripe for a dark cocktail club”
Americana Highways
John Apice
“Well, if this doesn’t have the thrust of elaborate music out of the ‘70s with rock dipped generously in acauldron of the Mael Brothers of Sparks….Arranged with muscle and both barrels of the glorious vocalsof Rachel Williams….The LP is laid out like a good noir film, scene after scene of great characters inambitious settings….You can almost hear the likes of Patti Page, Joni James & Julie London going forbroke on this….Laced like fruit punch at a Beat Generation rent party….One of the year’s best. Filled withsurplus excitement. Trust me.”
The Vinyl District
Joseph Neff
“The band has further sharpened their blend of blues and soul with punkish intensity and contemporaryflair….There is a songwriting acumen and a deft musicality….’Mr. Pecker’s Apoplexy’ branches out intostranger terrain, sounding like a bunch of late ’80s goth-poppers cutting a single on Halloween night in astudio possessed by the spirit of Joe Meek….With ‘Garage Glamour,’ The Claudettes intermingle theopposing poles represented in the album’s title with songwriting savvy, natural band chemistry, and aseries of knockout lead vocal turns. There are plenty of reference points, but it’s impossible to mistakethem for any other band.”
Michael Dougherty's Music Log
“Rachel holds court like a goddess accepting the presence of a few mortals….It's always great to hearthis band driving into the stranger corners of reality….Delivered with power, with passion….taking us onemotional ride….Rachel is just absolutely captivating….Man, this band can do anything."
American Blues Scene
Lauren Leadingham,
Isthmus
Madison, Wi
“The Claudettes create rootsy rock ‘n’ roll that is darkly humorous and danceable. They’re at the top of
their game on the punchy new album GARAGE GLAMOUR….The album again proves that Johnny
Iguana’s eclectic songwriting and piano playing has found a perfect foil with versatile lead vocalist
Rachel Williams.”
Burning Wood blog
Sal Nunziato