Album Notes

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The 2003 John Lennon Songwriting Contest winners were just announced on January 15th, and Joni's song "A Million Dollars" from the Sidewalks CD won a $1000 prize as one of three finalists in the Country category. Check out the soundclip on cdbaby and view a complete list of winners at www.jlsc.com.

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Joni was chosen as a semi-finalist out of over 1200 entries in the Midwest Division of the 2003 Independent Music World Series, sponsored by cdbaby and Diskmakers, and her song "On a String" was one of only 16 chosen to be on the cdbaby compilation CD. Check out the soundclip.
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Sidewalks is the long-overdue debut CD of this singer/songwriter from the Louisville, Kentucky area. The album's release marks the end of Joni's 15-year hiatus from the Louisville music scene, from which she virtually disappeared in the mid '80s, opting for college instead of following her bandmates to New York and L.A. After earning a B.A. in English, Joni moved to L.A. to pursue a career in music, but found herself alone and missing home. Disillusioned with the music business, she returned to the Louisville area in hopes of leading a "normal" life. But everyone knows an artist can never be silent for long, and Joni soon rediscovered her passion for music and began writing again. What started out as what she calls a "purely therapeutic" creative release has now become an introspective collection of intensely personal and brutally honest songs for her first album.

Sidewalks is an eclectic mix of smart, catchy pop songs and haunting ballads reminiscent of the '60s and '70s, with a hint of spooky southern groove and a touch of Bacharach, and lyrics that range from heartwrenching to downright hateful, but always heartfelt. These are songs everybody can relate to. "It's all the stuff you hate to admit to yourself, but you know is true," Joni laughs. "The key to writing a really personal song that people can identify with, I think, is being totally honest with yourself, no matter how painful it might be. We all go through the same stuff," she says, "and knowing you're not alone somehow makes it easier to get through it."

With the help of engineer and longtime friend Jeff Carpenter, Joni laid down the demo piano and vocal tracks, and then got together with some of Louisville's best musicians to record the album at Al Fresco's Place, Carpenter's studio in Louisville. Drummer Jerry McBroom was a pal from high school. Carpenter brought in bassist Jim Baugher and guitarist and fellow singer/songwriter Scot Payne, who has just released his second solo project "Sci-Fi Guy." Peter Rhee on violin and mandolin, and David Barrickman, the Hammond B3 expert, rounded out the group. The result is a decidedly stripped-down, intimate yet powerful sound of understated elegance.