Valerie Troutt

Valerie Troutt
Oakland Girl

Release date: 10/2/2020

Slow & Steady Records announces the release of Bay Area jazz-gospel vocalist Valerie Troutt’s second album, Oakland Girl, a coming of age musical narrative about coming to terms with reality and its many injustices. The project has long been in the works – the title track was sparked in New York in the late ‘90s, in a practice room at The New School, where Troutt studied. “I was working on ‘Oakland Girl,’ and in walked Robert Glasper,” remembers Troutt. “I scootched over on the piano bench, showed him the song, and the rest is history.”

The song has now sparked a full-length album, which weaves together stories of many women in Oakland who Troutt has known and been inspired by. But Oakland Girl is also Troutt’s own story, her musical diary, or as Troutt puts it, “a look at life through the eyes of a young black woman who moved away from all she knew in order to understand the parts of her that she did not yet know.” Troutt’s path of self-discovery is both personal, but entirely relatable. The songs on Oakland Girl empower the listener, and ultimately serve as “a mirror for how we give and receive love,” notes Troutt.

Troutt’s musical vision is brought to life by Bay Area’s Maya Kronfeld (piano), Emanuel Ruffler (keyboards), John Ormond (bass), Darian Gray (drums), and background vocalists Solas B. Lalgee and Paulynn Brown – each a longtime friend and collaborator. For Troutt, building community through music has been the key to understanding love. “But love is bigger than one Oakland girl can imagine,” notes Troutt. “It is vast, just like the sky.”

Valerie Troutt - Vocals / Compositions

Synths,Keys and Piano: Emanuel Ruffler & Maya Kronfeld

Bass: Nic Thys & John Ormond

Drums: Darian Gray & Otis Brown III

Guitar: Chris Conti

Trumpet: Rafa Postel

Saxophone: Howard Wiley

Background vocals: Solas B. Lalgee, Crystal Monee Hall, Erica P. Brown