Rondi Charleston Tests Uncharted Territory on Latest Album

Rondi Charleston comes from a long line of singers and songwriters, dating back to her great-grandmother toiling¹ on the Great Plains in the 1800s. Rondi's musical influences come together on her latest album, "Who Knows Where The Time Goes."
Like the restless spirit of her ancestors, Rondi Charleston inhabits a deep sense of adventure. As a performer, she can't resist testing uncharted territory and trying something new. Take, for instance, her update of the title track, a reflective folk-rock tune² made famous in the 1960s by the late Sandy Denny.
Rondi says she's always been drawn³ to songs possessing an interesting story.
"I love Brazilian and the Great American Songbook and classic pop standards, as well, from my childhood," she said. "I have a deep love of tradition and always include a lot of standards. But, I always try to find songs that are rarely heard, that I feel I can bring something truly new and fresh."
Rondi trained for a singing career at the Juilliard School, where she earned two degrees in music. After working with several professional opera companies, however, she decided⁴ to pursue another lifelong passion and enrolled⁵ in journalism⁶ classes at New York University.
"My life took a complete 180. I ended up winning an investigative journalism award while I was there at NYU getting my degree," she said. "And, I was hired by ABC News and started working for Diane Sawyer on pieces that we won Emmy Awards and Peabody Awards for - medical pieces, political pieces, science pieces - and I would go undercover. And it was a complete surprise to me that this happened in my life, but a wonderful surprise."
When Rondi returned to singing full time, she also changed musical direction, from classical to jazz. There are plenty of jazz standards on her new album, as well as a pair of soul remakes, Latin pop, and an original tune dedicated⁷ to her great-grandmother Indiana.
"Even though she had no formal education, she worked as a maid, she was a natural storyteller," Rondi said. "And, she was an astute⁸ observer of life and people and feelings and experiences. What I think I inherited from her was her core strength and resilience, and quite possibly, her way with words and her voice."

1 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

2 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

7 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

8 astute   

adj.机敏的，精明的

参考例句：

• A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。
• The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾，足以对付侦探的机智。