My second and self produced album has been just as much of a journey as the first one, but in vastly different ways.
In truth, many of the songs on here were already written at the time the first album was released, but life events
conspired to delay their entry into the world and by the time I arrived at this point, I had of course written many
more, so one of the hardest tasks was deciding which song I put out.
I had chosen the album title 'My Own Shade of Blue' a long time back, to reflect and celebrate the fact that
I write and perform the blues just the way I do, so no apologies for being maybe outside of the modern
traditional sounds.
I write music just about every day of my life; it never stops at all, and getting the song I first heard in my
head, along with the lyrics that came with it, to the finished state is something I also do every day in some
way. I take great care in my playing of piano or any other instrument I put on there, and work closely
with the drummer and bass player to get precisely the sounds and rhythms I want.
The songs are actually quite varied:
I would say that Cry Some More, Make It Easy On Me and Power To Hurt Me are possibly more recognisable
blues, whereas there are softer ballads also in Once In A Lifetime and Instead of You.
Is It Now is strictly 'swing', but that's just the way the song came! Shouldn't Be Here and This Waiting Game
are really very individual; Lost Myself In You is a very lyrical ballad and the final song on the album
Just Looks Like I'm Alive is really very special to me and very simple in structure: no drums or bass,
simply my piano and some excellent cello.
I love all my songs in different ways, and each of them demands different things from me, both in the playing
and in the vocals and each one is a journey of its own as I set out to produce a finished product that satisfies
what I was trying to achieve when the song was conceived in my head - and in my heart, for they all come
from my heart and my soul. All of it is part of me.
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