Album Notes

Transition and resolution. Both themes run
consistently like a red thread through the 11 songs
that make up Gayle Day's new release "Freedom
Paradise".

As things kick off with "Coasting", the verse starts
out a bit weary and noncommittal: "I've been searching
from place to place..." The verse leads down toward a
harder, darker transition; then the chorus breaks out,
modulating up in key, and Gayle's voice double-times
the lyrics almost frantically, outrunning the
tambourine and creamy backgrounds: "I'm floating up
above the sky, above the mist and I'm hoping there's
got to be a better place than this..."

The perfect summer pop tune, but there's something
more complex lurking below the innocence.

This is an apt introduction to Gayle Day, who just
happens to look as if she were born to play the role
of a pop star. The six-foot tall chanteuse takes the
stage with her Gibson jumbo, and no one in the room
looks away. Model-looks aside, her down-to-earth
demeanor and self-depreciating wit disarm the
audience; her pure vocal delivery eases the impact of
some decidedly grown-up lyrics.

Hailing from London, Gayle followed a different
trajectory than the typical singer/songwriter. Her dad
was a guitarist, signed to Decca in the sixties. So
when Gayle exhibited musical leanings, she decided to
learn piano, guitar, and even completed a tough
sound-engineering course, all in an effort to gain
self-sufficiency.

At one point she started composing a song with a
visiting American, Kevin Hunter (late of Wire Train,
Tuesday Night Music Club), but a five year span
encompassing moves to New York and Los Angeles delayed
its completion. It was while working with current
producer Bill Lefler that Gayle and Kevin were
re-introduced and were able to complete the tune. The
song "Alone" as well as "Hotel Room" penned by
Day/Hunter, both appear on "Freedom Paradise".

Lefler's masterful production on Freedom keeps the
focus on Gayle's vocals, and puts a shifting palette
of textures behind her, making one song flow
effortlessly into another. The album works as a
cohesive whole, start to finish. Perfect for the
"repeat" button.

On the final cut and signature tune, "Freedom
Paradise", Gayle was again in a transitional phase.
While on vacation in Mexico, and preoccupied with
personal problems, her inner voice asked for a sign.
It was then she spotted an actual neon sign with the
song/album title. Later, on a swim in the warm coastal
waters, she wrote the song in her head. "I knew then
that paradise was inside me, not about going
anywhere."

Gayle also co-writes with her guitarist Rich Jacques
(Brownie Mary), pianist Mike Schmidt, Renee Stahl who
contributes background vocals, and Britpop star
Kavana. She has been placing songs in TV and films.