Even though Elise Testone didn’t win the 2012 season of American Idol, we’re still proud of our hometown soul chanteuse for making it to the top 10 — and for delivering one helluva cover of “Whole Lotta Love.”
In a recent interview with Billboard magazine, Testone noted she has an album named In This Life on the way. Joining Testone on her debut are a host of the Holy City’s finest: Wallace Mullinax, Aaron Levy, Ben Wells, and Darius Rucker. Yes, that Darius Rucker. The former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman joined Testone for a duet on the song, “Better Than.”
Testone told Billboard, “It’s exciting that I kept it within Charleston and kept my people in there that had a huge hand in developing who I am musically. That was one of the highlights to me and the strengths. I didn’t call in any professional musicians from L.A. or New York. I used all musicians from Charleston. It was more like a family vibe, which works well together to create its own sound.”
As for what we can expect from In This Life, Testone told Billboard, “It covers every genre: Americana, pop, country, soul, blues, funk, jazz, and rock, but I feel like it’s cohesive and it flows.” We can’t wait.
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