BIOGRAPHY/PRESS
Lili Añel considers music a calling. She was born in New York City and it was there that she discovered
her passion for music. As a child Añel remembers, singing along to her mother's Cuban, jazz and pop standard albums. It was also her mother who supported Lili's desire to join the
church choir. However, it was her grandfather's recognition of how much joy singing brought to her being, which served to set her feet firmly on the path of a career in music. "My grandfather
was very influential and instrumental," says Lili. "When I sang in the church choir, he would sneak in to the Mass without telling me. I would ask him later, after letting him know that I saw
him in the back, why he came to church at all and then left before it was over. His response was: "To hear you sing. I can hear your voice above the others."
A Philadelphia resident since 2004, Añel has continued to move audiences with her songs, both of hope for the future, and standing in her truth of life's difficulties and conjuring the
strength for perseverance. All delivered with her voice, full of low reaches which one feels in their center or a falsetto that is vulnerable and sweet. Of her songs she says "they are
snapshots of life and situations I've observed or have experienced, even if not to the letter. I may embellish or change an ending or just make the whole thing up."
Lili's song "Dream Again" was featured in the 2022 independent film, "The Center of Distance" by multi-award winning filmmaker, Rock Wilk. Lili also co-wrote the song "Lovers Leap" for the upcoming play
"Folk City The Musical."
(Click on player to hear "Dream Again")
Better Days (remastered) was released October 2021, and is a re-imagining of Lili's October 2019 album Better Days which lost momentum when COVID hit.
This time Lili's co-producer Dale Melton who recorded, mixed and mastered the album was able to revisit it with fresh ears and make improvements with the addition of two more tracks and new
artwork. One of the special bonus tracks is a live version of "Got Me Thinking" recorded at NPR station WRTI in Philadelphia. This stunning live track has never been publicly heard until now.
The other bonus track "Climb The Wall" is one of Lili's best written songs from her 2013 album I Can See Bliss From Here. In its remastered form the song sits perfectly with
Better Days (remastered). This captivating album was embraced by fans and critics alike.
In 2018 Lili was a nominee for the prestigious PEW Center for Arts and Heritage Fellowship.
Lili's 2017 EP Another Place, Another Time brought her continued accolades, with an invitation to record 4 songs on NPR Music Live Sessions video series. On her 2013 release, I Can See Bliss From Here,
we find Lili standing in her truth. She wrote of her struggle with various losses, always in complete honesty and total feeling, along with her celebrating her life, on the biographical "Something To Do."
JazzTimes Magazine proclaimed Every Second In Between (2009) "...a CD to blow your mind at first listen..." Every Second In Between (produced by Glenn Barratt) also made the All About Jazz 2009 Year End
Writers Choice for the "10 Best New Jazz Releases" list, along with winning 3 NY Music Awards 2010, Best Singer-Songwriter, Best Jazz Album and Best Female Jazz Vocalist. JazzTimes Magazine said of
Dream Again" (2007) "...her songs are consistently excellent..." Palmetto Records released her first CD Laughed Last (1994) which was supported by a U.S. tour. Hi-Octane Coffee (2001) followed.
Defying categorization she calls her music a hybrid of "jazz/folk/soul/pop" combined with a powerfully unique vocal style
bringing her to the forefront. Lili continues to win over audiences with her vocal stylings, guitar playing and songs, that while often recalling her many influences (Joni Mitchell,
Steely Dan, Janis Ian, Joan Armatrading) prove her own unique style. In addition to headlining shows she has supported Madeleine Peyroux, Alejandro Escovedo, B.B. King, Rodrigo Amarante,
Boz Scaggs, Raul Malo, Robert Cray, Raul Midon, Michael Franks and The Holmes Brothers to name a few. Lili Añel continues to be a singer/songwriter at the top of her game and recognized
as a recording artist who successfully connects with the world.
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Full Biography
REVIEWS
“Lili's soulful jazz-folk vocals, her songwriting and her choices display enormous artistic maturity and depth. (Better Days) An album that should be heard from
beginning to end and then repeated.”
Marc Myers - JazzWax READ MORE
"The songs on Better Days address real situations in Añel's own life and in others"
Chris M Slawecki - All About Jazz
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"Lili Añel remasters Better Days"
A.D. Amorosi - Dosage Magazine
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"This is a big voiced gal that knows how to really kick it out"
Midwest Record Review
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"This latest project from singer-songwriter Lili Añel is a great introduction to the depth and breadth of her music"
Ken Francling's CD Of Notes
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'Better Days': Lili Añel Digs Into The Heart Of The Matter
Carol Banks Weber - Festival Peak
"Better Days, demonstrates why her career has such longevity."
Angry Baby
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"Better Days... A well balanced and easily enjoyable listen..."
Take Effect
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"Jazz Album of the Week: In Spirit, an Anthology from Lili Añel"
Matt Silver - WRTI
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"Lili Añel brings her acclaimed music career from New York To Philly"
Suzanne Cloud - Broad Street Review
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INTERVIEWS
"Lili Añel Unplugged - the Post-Covid Interview"
Carol Banks Weber - Substack
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"Five questions with Philly jazz vocalist Lili Añel" WXPN - The Key
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"Lili Añel returns to Steel City, celebrates release of 'Another Place, Another Time' "
Southern Chester County Entertainment
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