Family band Melky Sedek adds classic sound to R&B

Wednesday, February 3, 1999

Family band Melky Sedek adds classic sound to R&B

MUSIC: Siblings escape older brother’s shadow with release ‘The
Joint’

By Tenoch Flores

Daily Bruin Contributor

It just so happens that the members of the duo Melky Sedek are
Fugee Wyclef Jean’s younger brother and sister.

"He would torture us," recalled Sedek, one half of the R&B
group.

After appearing on the critically acclaimed "Love Jones"
soundtrack, the group looks to step it up with their first
full-length release, "The Joint." With a unique sound that combines
classical with R&B, Melky Sedek should have no trouble
achieving that.

"My dad had a church so I grew up singing," explained Melky,
"since I was about 3 years old." Though new on the music scene, the
duo is not new to music. "We’ve been performing though," Sedek
stated. "She’s been singing since she was three because she heard
me playing the piano."

After listening to Melky Sedek it is obvious that older brother
Wyclef isn’t the only member of the family with a love for music.
Melky delivers strong, heartfelt vocals while her brother Sedek
handles the production. The group’s sound combines rhythm and blues
with classical, among other things. In short, the duo separates
itself from most of the present formulaic R&B groups that flood
the genre.

"It’s the fusion of the classical music," described Melky. "I’m
classically trained for six years."

Before attending Rutgers University where she studied music for
two years, Melky had graduated from a performing arts school where
she learned how to read and write music. Always being interested in
poetry, she decided that the poetry she was writing was really
music and decided to go for it all. Of course, being disillusioned
with the music program at Rutgers might have helped a little.

"When I got to Rutgers I felt that I wasn’t moving forward,"
insisted Melky. "Instead of progressing I was going back. I already
knew how to write and read music and they were trying to teach me
(again) and I was like ‘I learned this in the ninth grade.’ Not
only that they didn’t want me to sing gospel music or any kind of
music cause they felt that it takes away from the pureness of the
voice that’s needed for the classical music, which I
understood."

"With opera music it’s a lot of training," said Melky,
explaining the differences in singing gospel as compared to
classical.

"I compare it to being a body builder where you work up your
voice and you strengthen your voice a certain way. A lot of times
if you don’t know how to sing properly, your not singing from your
diaphragm your singing from up here (your vocal cords.) It might
sound great but your really hurting yourself and your not singing
right and your hurting your vocal cords. And a lot of people do
that so I understand why they say that."

For some people, the idea of working with siblings would seem to
be quite a task. Melky Sedek claims that there is no other way they
would do it. Keeping it in the family seems to give them a freedom
they do not enjoy when they work with other artists. Plus, they’re
used to it.

"Its like breathing, put it that way," Melky stated. "You don’t
even think about it, you just breath."

Easier said than done for some. For others it might be difficult
to hear your little sister singing about "mature" subject matter.
How does Sedek deal with that?

"She’s talking about powerful stuff," Sedek calmly explained.
"She’s far from talking about the non-sense people hear on the
radio. It’s the way you talk about sex and love."

Melky is quick to back her brother up. "The thing is that you
can still perform with your brother and be sexual. Because
everybody is sexual, he’s a sexual being and I’m a sexual being. We
know that and we respect that. We’re both adults. He gives me the
freedom to be who I’m going to be."

After listening to their album it is apparent that Sedek knows
what he is talking about. The album has a certain maturity about it
that is rarely heard in most R&B albums out today. Songs like
"Raw" and the powerful "Mi Amor" show that this isn’t another one
of those indistinguishable R&B groups.

If this is a taste of what Melky Sedek have to offer, Wyclef
might soon be sharing the spotlight with the same siblings he used
to "torture" when he was left in charge at home.

"He would put holes in our sandwiches," Sedek remembered as
Melky chimes in. "He’d take our balloons and stick pins in them –
you know, like a normal big brother."

Big brother or not, this group has something different to offer
with its unique sound and spirit.Tar

R&B duo Melky and Sedek released their first full-length
album, "The Joint", last week.

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