Gospel jazz innovator, Kim Burrell has fans doing a double take lately. After doctors told her she’d suffered multiple heart attacks last November, the powerhouse vocalist lost 100 pounds and gained a new lease on her life and career.
Burrell’s transformation was on full display at the BET Honors that kicked off Black history month, as she revealed a curvaceous figure wearing a black, one shoulder fitted dress (similar to the one Mary J. Blige wore on the red carpet that night) during a heartfelt rendition of “I Believe in You and Me” in tribute to Whitney Houston.
R&B singer Neyo introduced Burrell saying Houston thinks she has the greatest voice on the planet. From the moment Burrell appeared Houston leaped from her seat and ran to the front of the stage where she soaked in the serenade. Adding her signature riffs and runs and natural gospel flavor to the R&B classic, Burrell kept the entire audience under her vocal spell.
Represented by the Lewis Agency of Manhattan, NY the production of a VH1 reality series and mainstream inspirational album are already on Burrell’s 2010 calendar.
But, this isn’t the first time Burrell has dabbled in singing secular or shown her vocal versatility. She has done a duet with Parliament’s George Clinton and during the Pope’s last US visit she performed with Harry Connick, Jr.
The Houston born singer told a reporter the side of her is not only new, but the real Kim Burrell.
