Lilly of the West
Swings & Heartaches
The “swings” are lively, up-tempo songs from the 40s/50s, and the “heartaches” are beautiful ballades with strong lyrics.
“Swings & heartaches” includes eleven songs, in two parts.
The “swings” are lively, up-tempo songs from the 40s/50s, featuring two Patsy Cline hits (“Gotta lotta rhythm in my soul” & “Walkin’ after midnight”), one by Hank Williams (“Lovesick blues”), two old western/swing standards (“My window faces the south”, “I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter”) and a modern swing (“Who knows what tomorrow may bring”).
The “heartaches” are beautiful ballades with strong lyrics. One is a Johnny Cash/June Carter duet (“If I were a carpenter”), another is an Everly Brothers’ classic (“Crying in the rain”); a modern nostalgic song by Juice Holland & Sam Brown (“Valentine moon”) and two Bulgarian folk melodies (“Brala moma” & “Malka moma”).
Musicians:
Lilly Drumeva – lead & harmony vocals, fiddle
Yasen Vasilev – lead & harmony vocals, lead & rhythm guitars
Michail Shishkov – lead and harmony vocals, Dobro, piano
Svoboda Bozduganova – upright bass: pizzicato and arco
With special guests: Michal Barok – mandolin, Milena Vuleva – fiddle
“Lilly of the West” was formed in 1996 by Lilly Drumeva in Sofia. Shortly after releasing a debut album, the band toured successfully throughout Europe and the US, winning European and international bluegrass music awards. “Lilly of the west” has a large repertoire, including country, bluegrass, swing, jazz, pop and Bulgarian folk music. The band has released 9 albums to date; the latter (“Swings & heartaches”) is a collection of jazz & swing standards from the 1930s/40s.
Previous albums:
1996 "Lilly of the West"
1998 "Live in Holland"
1999 "Dear and knid"
2001 "Lilly and Rosia"
2003 "A Collection"
2005 "Lilly Drumeva - live demos"
2007 "Time after time"
2009 "Lovin' you"
The production
Produced by Lilly of the West
Recorded at studio "Retro" by Stanislav Donev
Mixed and mastered by Stamen Yanev
Graphi design: Stanislava Dimitrova
Art photography: Ivan Kolovoz
Stylist: Teodora Velinova
Make up & hair: Teodora Antova
Printed by Polysound, Bulgaria
The credits
Lilly Drumeva: I would like to thank my parents for their love and support; my dear husband (Sean, "Valentine moon" is for you!); Also Bajo, Milena, Stamen & Stanislav for their professionalism!
Svoboda Bozduganova: I would like to thank my mother for her love and support; my professor Simeon Venkov, for teaching me to play swing!
Yasen Vasilev: I would like to thank all the musicians I have worked with through the years and Robert Plant for inspiring me to sing "If I were a carpenter".
Michail Shiskov: I would like to thank my wife Lina and my daughter Malena (Lina, "Crying in the rain" is for you!).
The songs:
1. Gotta lotta rhythm in my soul (B. Vaughan/W.S. Stevenson)
2. Who knows what tomorrow may bring (H. Hipkins)
3. Lovesick blues (C.Friend/I.Mills)
4. I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter (F.Ahlert/J. Young)
5. Walkin’ after midnight (A. Block/D. Hecht)
6. My window faces the south (B. Wills)
7. If I were a carpenter (Tim Hardin)
8. Brala moma Ruzha cvete (traditional)
9. Crying in the rain (H. Greenfield/C King)
10. Malka moma si se Bogu moli (traditional)
11. Valentine moon (J. Holland/S. Brown)
Country: Western Swing
Bordertown Bootleggers
Western Swing Allstars with Cindy Cashdollar, Jake Langley, Danny Levin, Floyd Domino
Country: Western Swing
Peter Ward and the Lone Pine Western Swing Band; special guest Herb Remington
Goodbye Liza Jane: Hello Western Swing!
Country: Western Swing