Angela McCluskey at the Penthouse at the Standard Hotel

Angela McCluskey was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and relocated to London, England, where she worked as a publicist and at a record company. In 1993, McCluskey relocated to Los Angeles, California, and recorded three albums with the folk rock band Wild Colonials. She worked invisibly as a studio vocalist for years, but in 2004 embarked on a solo career. After four albums, her most recent recording is an EP, Lambeth Palace, released in 2012.

Once a folk singer, Angela McCluskey is now a dance floor diva. McCluskey and her husband, pianist/composer Paul Cantelon, introduced their new project, St. Bernadette, at the Penthouse at the Standard Hotel in the East Village. Backed by both pre-recorded tracks and live musicians (including two accordionists!), much of McCluskey's new music was a cross between big band swing and disco, much like Kid Creole & the Coconuts in the 1980s. She also carried torch songs well as an emotive jazz singer in her noir cabaret moments. Spreading the blanket of music even further, McCluskey daringly reinterpreted reggae in her set. The modern dance floor songs at the end of her set had hips swiveling in the audience, but her most fascinating moments were her earlier hi-de-ho styled songs. McCluskey's sultry delivery brought smoky texture to whatever she sang, and the results were often spine-tingling.

Visit Angela McCluskey at www.angelamccluskey.com.