Award-winning soul/pop/acoustic singer/songwriter Jamila Ford has garnered attention for her sizable singing chops. Her slight frame belies her bewitchingly powerful voice. She gets your attention. Or more accurately, the Los Angeles-based singer's smooth mezzo-soprano makes you turn your head to give her a second listen. Drawing influences from Ella Fitzgerald to Stevie Wonder to Fiona Apple, she can give you a history of 50 years of American popular music during one of her sets, with her sultry voice providing the linchpin.
Ford’s most recent album Enough was recently nominated by the Independent Music Awards best Soul/R&B album for 2010. Ford has always had a knack for pinpointing emotions that well from her personal experiences – the struggle for self realization, the search for inner strength and independence, the joy of love, the pain and confusion of rejection, and the acceptance of all of our imperfections. Ford has found her voice again. She has channeled her struggles into a bluesy, folksy, and funky song cycle, reminiscent of the work of Norah Jones, Nikka Costa, and Tracy Chapman. “I think people hear my songs, relate to the lyrics and realize they aren’t alone… Someone else has felt the same way too.” Enough is like eavesdropping on an intimate conversation, after which you want to run and tell everyone you know what you’ve just heard.
An active member of West Coast Songwriters (WCS), Ford was awarded “Hollywood Songwriter of the Year” for her song titled “Not Exactly Perfect.” She went on to compete at the grand finals along side the year’s other regional winners at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA. She has played Room 5, Pig N Whistle, The Whisky, and Genghis Cohen to enthusiastic and supportive audiences. Her songs “Ordinary People” and “If You Ever Loved Me” have been featured on podcasts in the UK and Japan. Her music has also been featured artist on iheartradio.com’s New! Discover & Uncover.
Ford has also lent her backing vocals to the projects and live shows of artists such as Bonnie Pointer, Barry Goldberg’s Soul Riot, Fat Danny & the Hard Tymz, Lee Newman, Abraham Cloud, Nektare, Andrew Hyra, Josh Rich, Alicia Grant, Shari Puorto & the Rhythm Addicts, Artist Robinson, Larry Klein, Joe Hajek, Thomas Hornig, Dona Oxford and Jennifer Quiroz just to name a few. Ford is also a featured singer in the Ladies Night Band at the legendary Cafe Cordiale.