Album Notes

Allette learned to play guitar in the Botswana bush years ago. Now her songwriting has come full circle with the release of BLAZE, her fourth self-produced album, featuring ‘Lofoka’ (‘The Scent of Rain’) written in Setswana, and ‘Ngididekile’ (I’m Confused) written in a blend of isiZulu, Setswana, Czech, Spanish and English. BLAZE also features ‘Lost the Shore’ Allette’s haunting polar bear manifesto, and 25% of album sales on her website are donated to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Polar Bear SOS Fund.

Allette has appeared at venues nationwide including the National Women’s Music Festival, Falcon Ridge Emerging Songwriters Showcase, Freight and Salvage and Club Passim.

After graduating from Stanford with a degree in Human Biology, in 1996, Allette took her lyric packed feminist eco-folk on the road, playing hundreds of shows and releasing three albums Privilege, Silicon Valley Rebel, and Swim With Me.

Allette recently completed a masters degree in African Studies, returning to Botswana to study music addressing HIV/AIDS. Her experiences in Africa, as well as years of practicing and teaching yoga, seep into the reflective, textured and complex arrangements on BLAZE.

BLAZE is a coming of age album, reflecting a new depth and maturity in the classically trained singer’s vocal, songwriting and production skills. Recorded and mixed at Stanford’s CCRMA Studio by Jay Kadis and Allette, BLAZE highlights creative contributions by talented musicians Radim Zenkl (mandolin), Leo Chern (piano), Mark Calderone (bass), Sam Bass (cello), Jay Kadis (guitar), vocalist Shelagh Lampshire (backing vocals), and Paulo Baldi of Cake and the Las Claypool Band (percussion).