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Powerful. Riveting. Sultry.
Mere words can only capture the refrain of her awesome
talent. Maria Howell is much more. She is the ballad of
beauty and elegance. The melodies flowing from the petite
vocalist are truly amazing. While casting a spellbinding
smile, she mesmerizes her captive audience with incredible
harmonies and rhythms.
Howell's signature film performance as the choir soloist in
the movie "The Color Purple" was quoted by one critic as
being "one of the film's most stirring moments!" Her
rendition of "God Is Trying to Tell You Something" was
memorable for all who saw it, but the offerings of the
all-grown-up Maria are truly unforgettable, eliciting more
stirring moments, one after another.
Some may be inspired to call her best
kept secret, but anyone who leaves an imprint on every
medium from radio, stage and television to the Hollywood
screen is hardly incognito. Howell's talent has been
featured as a nightclub singer "Goldie", in
“The
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”,
produced by George Lucas (Chicago and NY episodes, which
also features veteran actor Keith David). Other roles on
the small screen include “Linda”,
where she plays alongside master performers Richard Thomas
(The Waltons) and Virginia Madsen (Sideways) and in
“Scattered
Dreams”
with Tyne Daly (Judging Amy) and Alicia Silverstone
(Clueless and Beauty Shop). Her credibility as a true
thespian flourished when she nailed a coveted role as the
daughter of Maya Angelou's character in Langston Hughes'
"Tambourines to Glory" stage play. She has worked with
famed actor, director and producer, Tyler Perry in film,
"Daddy's
Little Girls"
and in his TV sitcoms "Meet the Browns" and “House
of Payne” (TBS). She has appeared alongside actress
Regina King, as her best friend in Lifetime Television’s
“Living
Proof”,
starring Harry Connick, Jr. More credits she adds to her
resume are, “Drop Dead Diva” (Lifetime), “Past
Life” (FOX), “Vampire Diaries” (CW) and “The
Blind Side” starring Sandra Bullock.
Although acting was a natural artistic segue, singing and
entertaining are skills that emanated from Howell as far
back as she can remember. She recollects glaring at her
six-year-old image in the mirror and knowing at that moment,
her destiny was clear. The destiny became a reality as she
wowed audiences as the opening act for the legendary Ray
Charles, and as she shared the stage with Earth Wind and
Fire's point man Phillip Bailey. Performing in front of the
likes of Nancy Wilson, Marvin Hamlisch, Will Downing, and
George Benson, became her comfort zone - Anyone who swings
with the Cab Calloway Orchestra, croons with Baby Face and
rearranges the scale with Jeffrey Osborne can not...ought
not be boxed into one musical art form. Like Howell, her
music is a collective of sultry, soulful... smooth tones.
She not only combines sounds such as R&B with jazzy
punctuations, she evokes an international flavor into her
flambé of recordings. Her first CD, Peace of Mind,
was produced while her celebrity was peaking in Japan. She
followed up with another CD shortly after with a U.S.
favorite, Same Old Story. Both sets of recordings
have romantic overtones, but marinated with opportunities
for toe tappin' and finger snappin'. After relocating back
to the USA, Howell shared the spotlight with several Atlanta
artists as a featured vocalist on a compilation,
Acoustically Yours. In 2009, Maria released her
Holiday Melodies, a Christmas collection of holiday
classics and original music. |
