New Arrival Duly Christened

Made it!  After 12 months and 1 week, album No. 6 -  UnderCovered - is finally uncovered, christened, and welcomed into the family.  And typically, being the youngest of the brood,  there was no big flashy 'do' for this baby.  Rather, it was celebrated by a private gathering of close rellies and friends who  duly and appropriately 'wet the baby's head'.

A fitting welcome for this album because it has an authenticity about it - almost, a sense of homecoming, being back where the music belongs.  As I shared the journey with our guests at last night's function, UnderCovered is like listening to the songs in an intimate acoustic setting with some great muso's jamming along.  Here's roughly how the trail has wound its way 'home':

Album No. 1 ~ Breaking the Habit ~ an 'achievement' album with my Acappella group "Glass Slipper"
Album No. 2 ~ Many Shades of Blue ~ my first solo 'creation' exploring my taste for Blues
Album No. 3 ~ Luminous ~ my 'Art' album {every artist must do at least one!} exploring the flavours of orchestral sounds in my songs...big sounds...big ambitions....big dollars!
Album No. 4 ~ Borderless  ~ a 'project' album and discovering Robbie Long's studio - this album was where I learned that you could achieve a perfectly respectable recording without breaking the bank
Album No. 5 ~ Ebb & Flow ~ ...a 'breaking new ground' sound heavily influenced by the music of the 3 wonderful young musicians from Brisbane - a young, edgy sound.  {it was also the rebound album - 'get stuft, I can do this myself and I don't need you!  yeh, friends and live gig audiences will know the story}
Album No. 6 ~ UnderCovered~ this is the one where I'm totally comfortable in my skin of songwriter - no other influences, no other styles/sounds to explore, just letting the songs tell the stories and stand tall in their own right. 

So the songs and the sounds are back 'home', to my roots.  The songs have nothing to prove.  They -and I - are quietly confident and at peace.  This is a good place, and a good space to be.  This is an album you will want in your collection.

Uncovering "UnderCovered"

It's been a long hard slog but FINALLY the new album has gone to the Cut wizard - it's in the pipeline and with any luck should be completed and available late April.

This one will be a collectors item!  I'm having only a very small run cut and it will be a case of 'first in gets a copy'  ....once the run is sold, that'll be it.   I'm not planning a launch event for this one and you'll need to be on my mailing list to get notified when UnderCovered is available.

So to tantalise your musical taste buds, here is a wordy preview:

• Title:   UnderCovered ..... because my music IS under-covered, it's one of those hidden gems that when unexpectedly found is likely to surprise and delight you, and the title is a wordplay on one of the tracks "Cover Your Load"
• Recording:  the album has been fully recorded, edited, mastered at the studio of Rob Long here in Newcastle where the exceptional studio skills of Rob are another of those 'hidden gems'.   Rob has also done a lot of the instrumentation on the album including: Bass, Drums, Dobro, and a little of the guitar work.  Russ Redford played harmonica and did some backing vocals.  Di Lenham played clarinet on track No. 4 "Carrying Burdens"  for me.  Katriona Hamilton sang lead vocals on the track "Wanna Be".  I am most grateful and very blessed to have such generous musicians contributing to the project.
• Tracks:  there is a  track listing on the January blog post ...Tracks 5, 7, and 11 were 3 songs written especially for the show "Between the Lines"  which was performed here in 2010.  Gemma's Song was written for the character - a 16 year old troubled teen.  It needed a young voice - and a new title - which is how come Kate was invited and accepted to sing on the album - she is an emerging young artist in her own right.  
• Behind a few of the songs: The track "Wise Woman" was written specifically for this project in celebration of all the amazing women in my life - recognising that each one of us is uniquely different and must travel her own path. The track "Carrying Burdens" was written a few years ago for a dear male friend of mine who shall remain nameless - I endeavored to have that track included on the "Luminous" album but it didn't make the cut.....it did for this album.  "Grey Day in Melbourne" is not a poke at Melbourne itself!  I LOVE visiting Melbourne.  This song was inspired by the city because even at it's greyest - it has a rare beauty.  The grey reference reflects the nature of cities around the globe - how each wears its public face yet is comprised of individuals ...all different yet interconnected through the Divinity of Humanity but divided by the contradictions of humanity.

Typically - like all of my albums - it's going to be hard to place this one into just one specific genre/category.  There's a mixture of ballads, blues, pop, a distinct contemporary folk track, and a short bite of Mozart - go figure! Guess my albums are just like me - multi-faceted, hard to define, impossible to pigeonhole.

Don't miss out on your copy of UnderCovered  - it's quite a journey.

Articulation - who cares?

In a recent coaching class, someone [no names now] made the comment that for a singer, articulation can't be that important because nobody listens to the lyrics anymore!  I was too dumbfounded to make a comment at the time.

If this were really the case, we'd all be tuning to the classical music station...we'd all be listening to opera ....and nobody would be singing along in the car! [er, unless you sing opera that is]

Music is integral to the human spirit.  It uplifts us.  It soothes us.  It motivates us. It inspires us. Many of our memories are linked to music.  We use it to mark the important milestones in our life ....birthdays, weddings, celebrations of all types.  We treasure it as a solo experience and we share it with other human beings.  When the music has lyrics, it is called a song!

Songs are the fabric of, and the witness to, our lives.  Lyrics can become a mantra for many people [dare I stick my neck out and say 'most people'?].  Here are a few of my own examples:

• upon achievement - the lyrics of Queen's "we are the champions of the world"  
• successfully tackling a challenging task - Annie Lennox singing "sisters, are doing it for themselves"
• currently, when I'm struggling with something, the lyrics of a Whitney Houston song - "step by step, bit by bit, stone by stone, brick by brick"

As a songwriter, the challenge is always in finding a way to get the message across in fewer words. For me, some songs are just for fun - so if the listener can't hear the lyrics, they'll miss the joke (or worse, the punchline).  Most of my songs, though, have a message - and often multiple messages.  I often structure my lyrics to be interpreted in different ways - in order that individual listeners will find meaning to fit their need.

When audience members come up to me after a gig and tell me that "that song really touched me because ..."  or "you played a song last year that changed my life ..." then proceed to share their own story,  well, for a songwriter it lifts me to a new high and I know I've done my job well.

So I'm putting out a new challenge on Facebook each day this week .....share the lyrics that make a difference in YOUR life.  I'd love to hear from YOU ...so leave a comment below or jump on to Facebook and join the challenge.

Cruisin' into the new year

Well, a new year...a fresh start....wondering what 2012 is going to bring to me and where it's going to take me musically.  With some major projects now off my agenda I'm praying for patience to let new things unfold [not an easy task for me] so it's a relatively laid back start to the new year for me.
I've locked in some dates at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Newcastle {I LOVE that space!} for 3 shows/5 performances between March and July.  Check the "Projects" page of this blog to see what's coming up{well, in a few days - I haven't got to that page yet!}.  And of course, I'm expecting to release the new album UnderCovered in the next couple of months - I know, I know, I promised to have the artwork at least to show you this month...but believe it or not, I'm still waiting for my buddy to finalise the design into the template!! 

So in the absence of a piccie - can I tantalise you with the track titles?

1. Day is Done
   
2. Granny Hell RETITLED "PLAY"
   
3. Wise Woman
   
4. Carrying Burdens
   
5. Fancy That
6. Grey Day in Melbourne
   
7. Gemma's Song Retitled "WANNA BE"
   
8. All Dressed UP
   
9. That's How it Goes
   
10. Cover your Load
    
11. Sheri's Song Retitled "ENIGMA"
    
12. Dona Nobis Pacem

 More about the tracks in upcoming blogs.
In the meantime ....what do you think of the new design?  Any feedback is welcome.

Have a great 2012 yourself - more music to you