Trixie Whitley has been playing music probably as long as she’s been breathing thanks to a host of influences.  Growing up, she traveled the world with her Belgian mother and rubbed elbows with rock royalty friends of her father, the late Chris Whitley. Many folks know her name thanks to work with Black Dub, a dub-hybrid project of Daniel Lanois.  She’s been an actor, singer, dancer, musician, resident DJ and server in New York restaurants.   Safe to say, the twenty-five year old stays busy.

Outside of a few EPs, she has yet to unleash a full-length collection of her music. Perhaps it’s that she hasn’t stopped long enough to get into a studio for that length of time or maybe Whitley has just put years of thought into the effort.  Today, she releases her debut, Fourth Corner (Strong Blood Records).  It’s a rock-n-soul drenched affair with Whitley’s vocals at the forefront.  We’re not sure they every belong anywhere else, quite frankly.  That voice is the constant across a layered soundscape that rhythmically  rises and falls, sniffs out different genres and toys with them only to move on to the next before settling in to any particular one.  That said, there’s continuity to the songs both musically and lyrically.

Armed with fresh material, Whitley and her powerhouse pipes are hitting the road.  Her gift is live performance as recordings can never fully capture that kind of texture and range.   You’ll have the chance to catch her on a few more stateside dates before she embarks on a world tour later this month.

Whitley and company play The Southern in Charlottesville, VA tonight with Dumpster Hunter. Doors open at 7:00pm. Show starts at 8:00pm.  Tickets are $12.