|  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 a 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 as well as other roles on the small screen such as in
Linda 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. Most recently,
Maria has worked with famed actor, director and producer, Tyler
Perry in film, "Daddy's Little Girls" and in TV, "Meet
the Browns".
Although acting
was a learned craft that has become more refined with each new role,
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 sultry,
soul... smooth. 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'. Confident in her own groove,
Howell shares the spotlight with several Atlanta artists in her
latest compilation, Acoustically Yours.
Over the course
of her career, Howell has availed her illustrious voice to TV and
radio commercials. In the near future, Howell hopes to use her voice
in a more philanthropic spirit. She has an affinity for connecting
with children who aspire to their own unique greatness. Her drive
to shape our youth is commensurate with her acting ambitions. She'd
like to star in films that are reminiscent of the times when families
would gather to watch poignant documentaries and movies. She is
also interested in uniting her talents with animation. Not only
does she love this variety of film, she understands that an animated
movie is a masterful way to gain a child's undivided attention.
And
offering up another novel Howellistic melody…
is a way to keep ours
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