SongVault Artist Profile

Urban Angel is the remarkable solo debut from Philadelphia-based singer Natalie Walker. At 25, Walker is already a veteran of the music business. As a former member of the electronic group Daughter Darling, her voice was front and center on their popular 2003 album Sweet Shadows. On Urban Angel, working with producers Nate Greenberg and Dan Chen (aka Stuhr), Walker has taken her music to the next level. All Music Guide describes the album as “funky and elegant at the same time” while Philadelphia magazine calls it “a stirring, sexy record that’s filler free.” The disc has been embraced by influential California radio station KCRW and reached number-two on the iTunes electronic chart. Indeed, with its combination of lush, modern soundscapes and more traditional song structure, Urban Angel can be savored by fans of conventional singer-songwriter fare and electronic music alike.

Natalie Walker’s journey began in small-town Indiana. Her diverse musical influences include artists like Portishead, Garbage and Bjork. But Walker’s tastes also extend to alt-rock bands like The Deftones as well as to hip-hop. “I’m a sucker for a really good, old-school hip-hop beat,” she admits. When she was only 20, Walker packed her bags and moved to Philadelphia to work with Travis and Steve Fogelman as Daughter Darling. These days, the self-declared “Philly Lilly” still calls the city of brotherly love home. “I love how diverse Philly is,” she says. “Philadelphia has amazing restaurants, wonderful music venues and wonderful talent – but it’s not a sensory overload. I feel like I belong here.”

Since Urban Angel’s release, Walker has stayed busy and garnered lots of attention in the process. The album’s first single, “No One Else,” was featured on the popular HBO series Entourage while the Thievery Corporation remix of its second single, “Quicksand,” appeared in a trailer for the film Marie Antoinette. Walker has been written up in publications ranging from The New York Press and The Philadelphia Weekly to Vogue and Beyond Race. She has also played many high-profile venues throughout the country, including L.A.’s Temple Bar and Joe’s Pub in New York City.

Urban Angel has been available in the US since the fall of 2006 both as an import (on UK-based Dorado Records) and via iTunes. But on August 14th, it will finally get a full domestic release on Universal/Fontana. In addition to the 12 songs featured on the original album, the new domestic version of Urban Angel will include a pair of bonus tracks: the popular Thievery Corporation remix of “Quicksand” and the slinky new single “Crush,” which debuted at an impressive number-seven on KCRW’s airplay chart. If you’ve never heard Natalie Walker, there is no better time than now.

For more information on Natalie Walker, please contact Chip Schutzman at Miles High Productions: chip@mileshighproductions.com or 323-806-0400.