We had no idea…
It began when my partner and producer/engineer James Dellatacoma and I had just started recording the first vocal tracks for the debut album of Lael Summer. We had been told, warned actually, by our other partner, Marla Mase, that her daughter could sing…really sing. But there was something else…
You have to understand, it is THE DREAM of any producer to be given the opportunity to work alongside a truly brilliant and young talent. The producer looks forward to shepherding that talent through all the inevitable phases of artistic development, technical refinement, and emotional focus in order to create something undeniable…A Legend. And there it was…
We wondered how it was possible for a young person, still in college, a baby, really, in the music industry, to be able to immediately access the power of her voice and lyrics and use this to unabashedly channel her truth. We would soon come to learn of her journey to this place and realize that there was blood on every note.
- Tomás Doncker, CEO of True Groove Records
Lael singing Adele’s “Hello” in her car with her favorite karaoke app in Los Angeles, October 2016
“The appeal of Summer’s vocals lie not in power or over-doing it, but instead, in restraint and inflection. Every word, every syllable is full of emotion. Her lyrics are brutally honest, and the vocals support it beautifully. One is immediately reminded of Amy Winehouse when listening to Summer, and it’s as if she is helping to carry the torch.”
— The Big Takeover, 2014
“Her music is reminiscent to Nora Jones, Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone but she certainly holds her own and is in good company. She can be sweet, edgy and down right fiery when she wants to be. Her vocals are pure and concise no sense wasting time with unnecessary notes, she utilizes everything with precision.”
— Skope Magazine, 2014
““It’s definitely an album worth listening to. For someone so young to come up with this kind of album (of course props to True Groove founder Tomás Doncker for co-writing and producing the album) in a business dominated by crappy manufactured female voiced electronic dance music, she’s definitely one of those authentic ones to look out for.”
— Daily Ear Lollipops, 2014