WYSO music and culture contributor Greg Simms Jr. spoke with Yellow Springs-based singer-songwriter Rachel Litteral ahead of the release of her debut album. Rachel will perform live at Tuck & Reds in Yellow Springs on August 25.
Rachel describes her sound as a mix of folk and “sultry blues.” In the interview, she talked about deciding to record her first album after years of writing songs. Born in Oklahoma and raised in Urbana, Ohio, Rachel got her first guitar when she was 14 years old; she says she began taking music seriously when she was 18 years old. She told Greg how she conceived the album’s sound:
“I said that if I ever made an album, I wanted to have different genres on there. And I would really describe this album as that. There are some ballad-y tunes. There's almost an homage tune I wrote to Bonnie Raitt, who’s one of my idols. Then you’ve got honky-tonk rockabilly blues things… and you’ve got some more political stances I actually wrote for my kids.”
Rachel is now finishing recording her album at Reel Love Studio in Dayton. Studio owner Patrick Himes is producing the songs, and performs many of the instruments in the recordings. The album will also feature other Dayton musicians, including a guest vocalist who will join Rachel in a duet in the song “Relentless.”
More information about Rachel Litteral’s music, including updates on her releases and live performances, can be found on her Facebook page. Her forthcoming album will be available on all streaming platforms.
