"If Amy Winehouse were cleaned up and polished to a bright sheen, she would sound similar to the Ashley 1st Band...the live show is undeniably entertaining...an impressive group of players...this crew has such a tight sound, they appear to be seasoned road warriors."
-Bernard Baur, Music Connection
Saturated in the city for a couple years now, Ashley 1st is quickly carving a name for herself after the release of SONY BMG's "Christmas Classics: Yesterday , Today & Forever" album, on which she lends her own saucy twist of "Santa Baby" to the company of Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson to name a few, to the NATIONAL FMQB CHART climbing success of her single "You're Just So Good" from her debut album: Lovin' Every Minute (iTunes, cdbaby.com).
"Ashley 1st ROCKS with a sound all of her own!!" - Kevin Wyatt (Bass Player; Lenny Kravitz)
...which may be why her single "You're Just So Good" soared to number 13 on the FMQB Charts. With a sound that crosses Alicia Keys over a Rolling Stones ride, it's no wonder the Ashley 1st Band and her original songs pack a punch.
"With laid-back world-weary vocals amid a bluesy soundtrack, Ashley's material has a signature style." -Music Connection magazine
"If music undresses the soul, then our show is basically the striptease of emotions you peel off in the course of any love carousel. Wanting to shout after a first kiss, or die after heartache, is not felt so much as they are heard by a station that turns on in my head. I write songs as they happen to me, or as life hands them to me,” explains Ashley.
The influences for Lovin' Every Minute come from a myriad of artists, in her own words: "My sister and I were home-grown on dad’s vinyls of The Who, Beatles, Stones, and Bowie." Add a hint of mom's Eydie Gorme with Ashley's penchant for Stevie Wonder and this band has managed to create a sound hard to slap with a one word label: "I think this album is a cocktail of pop rock songs infused with jazz over a retro vibe."
Summing it up, A.1st adds, "My hope is that my songs allow people to either relish or cry in the glory that is love. It's the only thing that levels everybody."
