On today's show, vocalist, bandleader and songwriter, Brandy Butler I first met Brandy Butler when she worked with my wife at a Philadelphia charter school, when Brandy was fresh out of college and teaching music to elementary school kids. I was aware that Brandy and her band Saigon Slim were performing around town in the same era when the Philly band The Roots were affiliated with Black Lily night at the club The Five Spot, when it was a showcase for talent like Jill Scott, Floetry and Jaguar Wright. We lost touch for a bit when Brandy moved to Switzerland to become an au pair but were happy to hear later of the success she had touring Europe with assorted bands as a vocalist, and making recordings with Chamber Soul, The Foxionaires and others. In 2013, Brandy was a contestant on the Swiss edition of The Voice, making Brandy an instant celebrity within Switzerland's borders.

All these experiences influenced Brandy's latest recording, INVENTORY OF GOODBY (named after the Anne Sexton poem perhaps?) and it's a gorgeously realized full-length song cycle, inspired by a transformative whirlwind romance with another artist, a project that came into shape while Brandy was recovering in the deserts of the American southwest. We talk about all these things as well as Black theater, Stevie Wonder, Swiss village life, not being Aretha Franklin, Schlager music, the lure of television, finding your voice, love, sex and Millie Jackson, as well as hear some cuts from Brandy's new album. You can find the album, Brandy Butler and the Broken Hearted – INVENTORY OF GOODBYE on Amazon and other outlets, see a video for one of its songs, ”Spell” at youtube and discover all things brandy butler at Brandybutlermusic.com