Key 3: Shanda & The Howlers frontwoman shares the music that shaped her

Shanda Cisneros Ratto, powerhouse singer of the 1960s-inspired rhythm and blues band Shanda & The Howlers, rarely holds back. Dismantling the idea of “singing pretty,” the vocalist taps into her raw potential, channeling all the grit and glory of music’s finest growlers. Now Ratto is working on a solo project with Wild Records, which she promises will be “dirtier, more growling, more feeling” than anything she’s done before. Here, she shares three key albums that helped shape her musical trajectory.

Ella Fitzergald - Ella

“The first one is actually an album my older brother gave me, and it made me want to sing in front of people. I always wanted to sing, but this actually made me do it. I picked my first ever singing solo from this album. I still remember what it felt like at that performance. My legs were shaking so bad, I thought they could see it through my dress (laughs). I wanted to be her. I think she’s one of the greatest voices ever, to be honest, and she’s also this amazing personality.”

The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

“I wasn’t exposed to classic rock. My parents were older, so it was either oldies, country—or my brothers listen[ing] to Depeche Mode. My friends and I, we all listened to Bell Biv DeVoe, New Edition and I was too busy dancing to ‘Poison’ [laughs]. When I moved to Vegas, and I got the job at Tower Records, I started getting exposed to more music. I love Jack White, so any project he did, I would look into. And I just feel like The Raconteurs are like our modern day Beatles. It’s this Gen X supergroup of musicians. That album is so diverse in its styles of music, but it’s also really rock ’n’ roll. And it has the best breakup song on it, I think, of all time. It’s called ‘Many Shades of Black.’ You can almost hear the bitterness in [Brendan Benson’s] voice.”

Otis Rush - 1956-1958 Cobra Recordings

“The minute you hear his voice, you’re gonna melt. It’s blues, but it’s so ... Magic Sam. It just hits me, and I feel everything that he’s singing. And he’s a prolific guitar player too. There’s this YouTube video, and it’s one of his most popular videos. He comes out, and the song’s called, ‘I Can’t Quit You Baby.’ He starts with a note. His tone, it’s perfect. Hairs on the back of your neck just stand up. And I’m like, ‘I want to do that. I want to be like that.’”

BONUS PICK: Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Feelin’ Kinda Lucky

“The reason I didn’t pick it as my Top 3 is just because it is considered rockabilly and kind of obvious, but I wanted to do an honorable mention because my older brother gave me that CD. Believe it or not, I didn’t know rockabilly existed until I left Southern California and moved here. You would think I would know, being right next to the epicenter, but … we grew up in kind of low-income neighborhoods. I had a few vintage dresses, it was just kind of the California style, but I didn’t know anybody who completely dressed ’40s or ’50s. But I was always obsessed with it. So when I discovered it, it was like angels singing and the light came down. …It was something that solidified my track in life.”

LISTEN NOW Shanda & the Howlers, shandaandthehowlers.com

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