The English singer Alex Hepburn worked through the painful experiences and losses of her childhood by writing in her diary. The journal entries later became rhymes, then lyrics and finally songs, which she sings with verve and a powerful voice: This combination has made her a shooting star of neo soul. The resulting songs are so powerful that Hepburn’s debut single ‘Pain Is’ and the debut album which followed, ‘Together Alone’, immediately achieved success in the European charts. It is no wonder since the modern soul of this young English singer is a product of the blues and rock of her childhood. Her voice is as rough and strong as a double whisky. Her fans celebrate her, depending on their age, as a new Pink or a new Janis Joplin or, and everyone agrees on this, as a worthy successor to Amy Winehouse. In the end, the comparisons are unimportant, because Alex Hepburn is Alex Hepburn.

The provocative cabaret songs of the golden twenties are the source of inspiration for the 23-year-old Berlin singer Elisa Schmidt and her band. With her smoky voice, she gives the dry jazz-rock arrangements a sexy gangster charm, which she herself calls ‘Pop Noir’. The ‘pop’ part expressing an intoxicating lust for life and a mature swing vibe and modern urbanity, all in the same breath. The ‘noir’ part is provided by her voice and the dark, sensual enigmas she sings about. One of her greatest hits so far was the song ‘Heart Shaped Gun’, which climbed up the German charts as the title song of the German crime show ‘Tatort’.

A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. He is best known for his songs “Cruel to Be Kind” (a US Top 40 single), and “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass” (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and others. Lowe also wrote “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding”, a hit for Costello. Nick Lowe rocked English pubs in the 70s, then produced punk greats like the Pretenders and finally found the blues by way of the country band Little Village. Nick explores the dichotomies in the classic blues motifs: fear of God, pact with the devil, domesticity and wanderlust and partying on a Saturday night before the Sunday morning church service.

Belgian storyteller Milow has taken the listening public by storm, yet he remains down-to-earth. He tastefully captures the spirit of the times with fascinating lyrics and

ever since he came out with an acoustic pop version of the club hit «Ayo Technology», the Belgian singer has been at home on the charts worldwide. Milow goes deep into the core of pop with his evocative, airy sounds. It seems that there is no better place to proof his unerring instinct for good pop than in the unique club-style atmosphere of AVO SESSION Basel.

The performance of the Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall is no less artistically ambitious. Her song ‘Suddenly I See’ catapulted her onto the international charts. It’s a catchy song that does not completely reveal the fact that a superb musician is hiding behind the quirky initials KT, which stands for her full first name: Kate Victoria. She appeared in small student clubs in London as ‘Katie’ until she was invited to appear on the Late-Night-Show with Jools Holland – another familiar name at the AVO SESSION Basel. With only a guitar and a few stomp boxes like a loop station that allowed her to become her own live backup band, she sang the song ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’. It was her big break. She got a recording contract and a little later, her debut single, ‘Eye to the Telescope’ was released and made it up to number 3 on the British charts. She was awarded the prize for British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards in 2006. And now at the AVO SESSION Basel, we experience another great solo performance by this one of a kind artist.

Sharon Corr has the same deep understanding of elegant entertainment, but she remains loyal to her homeland and her own history. Her homeland is Ireland, through and through. Her history is her siblings, The Corrs. After touring 15 years with the Corrs, Sharon decided to take an indefinite break. She gave birth to two children and made her comeback in 2010 with her solo debut. It’s beautiful music with heart and soul as Sharon steps out of the background and into the forefront to play first fiddle. She has great joy in giving traditional Irish songs a new twist but also exploring the depth of cover songs like ‘Smalltown Boy’ by Bronski Beat. Now she is ready for the Hall of Fame.

A bear of a man, his high voice with its remarkable vibrato contrasts greatly with his appearance. The sounds of the South flow through his music, along with Cajun and Creole music, soul, gospel and even jazz, it forms the basis of his art, which is always carried by deep emotion. At AVO SESSION, Aaron Neville performs with Charles Neville, saxophone, Michael Goods, keyboards, David Johnson, bass/vocals, Makuni Fakuda, guitar and Earl Smith, drums/vocals.