Comments & Critiques
Critical Acclaim
Quotes of Leslie’s Performance as Grizabella from Reviews of CATS the Musical.
“...Leslie Ellis fills the room and stops listeners’ hearts for a moment” - The Hartford Courant
“[Ellis’] singing, always vibrant, is haunting” - William A. Henry III, Time Magazine
Quotes from Reviews of Kelly&Ellis - The Long Road to You
“We were so excited to partner with Kelly&Ellis for an event at Bristol Valley Theater. Knowing the musical pedigrees of this acoustic duo, I expected stellar musicianship (and was not disappointed). Their music is wide ranging in style, from humorous country to fresh takes on Broadway and pop classics, from funky R&B flavors to the broken hearted ballads. A bonus surprise on this intimate evening with Kelly&Ellis was their casual and friendly onstage demeanor, the sometimes funny, sometimes touching, always down to earth stories that they shared between numbers. I genuinely felt they welcomed the audience to be a part of their story. Their musical harmonies mirror a relationship built on respect, humor, and a love found after years of searching.”- Karin Bowersock, Artistic Director, Bristol Valley Theatre, Naples, NY
“I knew how talented Kelly&Ellis were from all they have done in the past, but was taken with their current show as a duo. Not only was their musical talent brilliant but their storytelling and comedic chemistry filled the theater with laughter and joy and brought the audience to their feet with applause and appreciation. Kelly&Ellis hit it out of the park! We are looking forward to future events with Kelly&Ellis at The Bing Crosby Theater!” - Sheryl Stone, Head of Talent and Marketing, The Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane, WA
“A new album by Kelly & Ellis has a quintessential sound and mass appeal to make it into your ‘forever’ collection of musical favorites. ‘The Long Road to You,’ is the musical energy behind an itinerary of intimate gatherings with fans where they share their stories in humorous dialogue and delight the audiences with songs from their past and present. These shows are catching on like wildfire through social media. They’ll soothe you with songs from your past that you’ve been singing along to for years and will inspire you with their new releases, each telling a vivid story like the good songs seem to, and you might even be treated to a Broadway hit or two.” - Jodi Schwarzenbach, The Sarasota Post
“Well, all I can say is.... If you were fortunate enough to take in a performance by Casey Kelly and Leslie Ellis this weekend you know that you were treated to a musical presentation that surpasses most others. I don't know if I have ever experienced two people who were so "in tune" with each other as these two are. I could have stayed there another three hours. So incredibly enjoyable!!! If you ever get the chance to see them, please do yourself a favor and go. They raised my own musical awareness a few notches tonight. I sure do hope they come back to Cape May someday. I'll be there if they do!” Rick Ferrante, WCFA 101.5 FM, Cape May, NJ
"A beauty of an album with Country Roots and americana music with a beautiful rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber – Memory.. a pleasant surprise from this duo." - Fotosbluesrock.nl
“Love it – more from this act please” - Robert MacMillan, Nevis Radio, UK
“Really nice sound” - Stewart Fenwick, Celtic Music Radio, UK
“[Tennessee Whiskey is a] Stunning track – why this is not being played all over the USA is unbelievable!” - Stuart Cameron, East Coast FM, UK
“New to me but I love what I hear” - Craig Parry, Phoenix Radio, UK
“Thanks Hotdisc for introducing me to this excellent act” - John Andersen, Radio Maelkebotten, Denmark
“Lovely on the ear, great song craft and the soft vocals are a pure delight” - Adrian Clark, Country Music Routes Internet Blog, Europe
“I really love the vocal here. Will investigate these more.” - Marie Crichton, BBC Radio Shropshire, UK
“This is excellent” - Rene Hoffman, Country Radio, Switzerland
“The first song “An Ordinary Day” caught my attention right off the bat, with how remarkably beautiful Leslie’s voice is. Leslie’s tone and timber hit me in the same way that Karen Carpenter’s did way back when I heard her coming out of my car radio. Fabric from the same cloth, yet Leslie’s voice is totally unique with a maturity that only happens when a singer has spent a life time honing and shaping their craft.
‘Casey’s voice has also matured greatly. Those of us who grew up around Casey professionally as a songwriter and performer back in the early 1970’s, will find Casey has found his voice in a new and different way. Singing in a lower register that, not only compliments him as a singer, but also when the two of them sing together, creates an incredible blend inside their harmonies.” - Jimmy Messina, Grammy® Winning Songwriter and Producer
“They’re fun, beautiful, heartbreaking and so much more wrapped up into a collision of genres (classic rock, Celtic, New Orleans R&B, contemporary pop, Broadway) from their careers. The Long Road to You is about their journey to find each other, to find their place; for the listeners, we finally found them.” - Brenda Hillegas, Emore Magazine
“In addition to the craft and skill on display here, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that Leslie Ellis' voice is easily one of my favorite musical instruments in the world. And throughout the album's thirteen tracks, Kelly's genius guitar work is undeniable” - Randy Slovacek, The Randy Report
“The Long Road to You wraps Kelly&Ellis’ journey - a tuneful autobiography, a slice of music history and a vision of their future - in lush, guitar-rich arrangements. We’re lucky to go along for the ride.” - Acoustic Guitar Magazine
“Audiences might have come to see Casey sing the hits he’d co-written for folks like Tanya Tucker (Grammy nominated “Soon”), Kenny Rogers (Grammy nominated "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight") and George Strait (his signature song “The Cowboy Rides Away”), but they often were charmed by his casual recollections (delivered in an almost Jimmy Stewart-like cadence) from his NYC Tin Pan Alley days to his California affiliations--with the likes of Loggins & Messina, the Nitty, Gritty Dirt Band, John Sebastian, Poco and Jackson Browne, to name a few. [Ellis’] wit, emotive vocal control and songs are completely disarming. An acoustic act, thoughtfully and tastefully presented, but refreshingly new. Think of the music as thoughtful-meets-electrifying. I dare say it's quite possible they're Nashville’s most endearing onstage duo. Some of the best new material to come out of Nashville” - Peter Rodman, The Peter Rodman Blog/KRNW Radio in Boulder, CO
“Kelly&Ellis are one of those rare and wonderful unions in life, and what that does for their music and the listener is palpably wondrous. You’ll hear and feel it for yourself when you indulge in this milestone CD, aptly titled The Long Road to You. This collection of songs is truly wonderful, beautifully sequenced and charmingly eclectic. There’s a real purity about it. No big production. Just great performances, superb musicianship and terrific tunes. It’s honest, fun and personal; the kind of thing that makes you feel that they’re right there in the room with you. I wish they were.” - Scotty Brink, Former Program Manager, WRKO Radio, Boston, MA
“This is a remarkable CD. Many songs stay with me long after I've aired them.”- Steve Jerrett, of KOPN in Columbia, MO
“I've been a long time fan of these incredible artists Leslie Ellis & Casey Kelly. Finally they have an amazing album The Long Road to You that captures what they have been doing on stage. Great songwriting, and performance, Bravo!!!!!” - Wood Newton, Grammy® Winning Record Producer, Nashville, TN
The Long Road to You provides almost one hour of pure listening pleasure. Kelly&Ellis make beautiful music together." - Sheldon Harnick, Tony® Award Winning Broadway Lyricist and Producer
