"RCA Unveils Andreone"
Singer/songwriter Trend a Boost

Los Angeles - RCA Records couldn't have asked for better timing for the Aug. 27 release of Veiled, the debut album by Los Angeles-based Leah Andreone, which comes hot on the heels of the current wave of singer/songwriter success stories.

"Right now, the female singer/songwriter is in vogue," says Best Buy pop/alternative buyer Tom Overby. "The climate has never been better."

The album's first single, "It's Alright It's OK," will go to triple-A radio stations July 29. The song is highlighted by Andreone's plaintive vocals and touches of a sitar. A videoclip of the track will be serviced to MTV, the Box, and other outlets in early August.

"On the one hand, radio is open to female artists," says RCA VP of artist development Hugh Surratt, "but on the other hand, the glut of product creates a competitive situation."

In order to cut through the clutter, RCA has scheduled Andreone on a three-month meet-and-greet tour, during which the singer will meet triple-A PDs and retail buyers. The itinerary includes 30-40 radio stations in 16 markets.

After the triple-A meetings, Andreone will do a repeat performance with modern rock PDs. The singer, who is managed by the Atlanta-based Russell Carter, is looking for a booking agent.

Major-retailer visits will be interspersed during each market stop.

Surratt stresses that the meetings will be informal in order to showcase Andreone's talent, as well as her outgoing personality and ability to connect with an audience.

"We believe we have a radio-friendly album," says RCA Records executive VP/GM Jack Rovner, "but we also have an intense performer, and we're going to go market-by-market to develop a fan base."

A tour, most likely with another RCA artist, will be scheduled for the fall, Surratt says.

Although the 23-year-old San Diego native has little industry experience, Andreone is ready for the grueling schedule RCA has planned.

"Since I got the deal, things have started flying," says Andreone, whose songs are published by Warner Tamerlane/Ahalella Music/Xanjamino Music (BMI). "My main goal is to be happy onstage, where I can share my music and hear people's reactions. I'm not looking for the fame of it. I love to watch people and their reactions."

A year ago, the former waitress got a positive reaction out of former RCA executive Skip Miller when she handed him a demo tape while eavesdropping on a conversation he was having with a group of co-workers at the Los Angeles diner in which she worked.

"I overheard them talking about how there was no talent out there and that they needed to sign some new people," Andreone says. "I asked my boss if I could go home to get my tape and gave it to [Miller] before he left the diner. He came back the next morning at 7:30 looking for me."

Andreone and producer Rick Neigher spent the intervening year at work on the debut album. That done, they are starting work on her second.

Even before Andreone had completed Veiled, her demo received airplay on XHRM (the Flash) San Diego.

"She's going into a climate that's very accepting," says XHRM PD Bryan Jones, "but she has got her work cut out for her."

Jones says Andreone will most likely be featured on the station's local-band spotlight.

"We're very impressed with her already, and having the local connection will definitely help," he says.

At retail, however, RCA will be starting from square one with its new artist.

"If we can get enthusiastic about a new artist, we'll recommend a listening post, which is the biggest avenue for exploring new acts," says Borders Books & Music adult alternative buyer Bob Reamer, who has yet to hear Andreone's album

Female singer/songwriters "do particularly well" at Borders, Reamer says. "If we can get behind her, we don't have to depend on radio."

Typically, Borders buys one or two copies of a new artist's material per store. "We just want to have it out there and then keep close tabs on it," says Reamer.

Best Buy's Overby says the chain will work closely with RCA in the markets in which the label is concentrating its promotional muscle.

In the 16 markets that RCA plans its push, Best Buy will stock 10-25 copies of Veiled per store.

The chain also plans to include the album at its listening posts and to schedule in-store performances within RCA's targeted markets.

With the exception of the Dave Matthews Band, RCA has not been known as a label that breaks new acts. However, Rovner says the label's newly revamped staff has breathed new life into the company.

"We're a brand-new company now, and we're doing good with acts like the Verve Pipe and SWV," says Rovner. "Now, we're experts in breaking new artists and are willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes."

Eileen Fitzpatrick