Julie's
introductions to the CD and the songs
No
recording, however perfected, can match a live performance. We
recorded these songs as if we were performing together live, and only
added the wonderful violin of Mike Piggott and flute of Joe Ellis,
afterwards. The tracks with Mark Edwards were played through as
straight takes, as were all the other songs. We have done our best
here to offer some musical treats. I hope you will find something
special to enjoy here, too.
Pour
(Lori McKenna) Mark Edwards' playing of
his Rhodes keyboard has made
this song into an inspirational piece of jazz. I love singing the
deep notes in this one and banging out the rhythm on my guitar!
Phantom
Doll (Dave Carter) Fascinating words weave around the
importance we
are all encouraged to place on our image, especially young women, and
how destructive this can be. Mike Piggott lifts this arrangement with
his melodies twining around the tune.
Fifteen
Summers (Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle) This one is
special. I
learnt it when my daughter was fifteen and it helped a lot at the
time.
Stop
(Joe Henry) This is the title track and the words are so bare and
desperate and Mike's tight violin accompaniment makes it sing. The
words express the anguish of the end of a relationship, but some
lines express other meanings to me. As I get older I am becoming
aware that time is not endless after all. So I hope to make good use
of what is left for as long as possible.
It
Never Entered My Mind (Rodgers and Hart) I have a very
old record of
Peggy Lee singing this. I love the conversation that we have worked
out between Gary's bass and my guitar at the beginning. The words are
so expressive of unexpected loneliness.
Baby
Can I Hold You (Tracy Chapman) How difficult to say what
we feel at
the right time! How lucky we are if we can!
Empty
Bed Blues (J C Johnson) This is a gutsy old Bessie Smith
number. Her
version has many verses full of innuendo. Ours has a little musical
game going on, but otherwise tells how to treat your man right!
Give
Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman) I think Tracy wrote this
blues with
the older woman in mind. 'I'm too old to go chasing you around,
wasting my precious energy'. I love the energy and rhythm of this
song.
Route
66 (Bobby Troup) The pace of Gary's superbly rhythmical
double bass
arrangement makes this great old standard into a jazz treat. The
clicks are my snapping fingers and not a click track, as a friend
wondered.
Wave
(Antonio Carlos Jobim) I love all Jobim's songs. His chords are so
subtle, just changing gently under the melody and creating the mood.
This is a happy song to sing and lifted more by Mike's gorgeous
violin.
I
See Your Eyes (Tony Winn) I met Tony years ago when he
was
performing at Broadstairs Folk Festival. He is an inspiring
songwriter and performer. This is a poignant song with beautiful
images.
Who
Knows Where The Time Goes (Sandy Denny) I am so impressed
that Sandy
wrote this when she was so young. It is one of the most beautiful
songs I have heard and I had to learn it. Joe's haunting flute adds
an ethereal quality to the sound.
And
So It Goes (Billy Joel) Billy Joel is one of my favourite
songwriters. His songs are hard work for me to learn to play, but the
effort helps me understand how he uses chords and key changes -
although I sing this one unaccompanied. It reminds me of a
traditional hymn tune.
Don't
Let Me Be Misunderstood (Benjamin, Caldwell, Marcus) I
first heard
Nina Simone singing this and it has the words that I most identify
with. We recorded it on our first CD with Mike Piggott playing
fabulous jazz violin. We wanted to add that recording to this CD, but
with a different recording set up, it would not have sounded right.
So we decided to do a completely different arrangement with Mark
Edwards playing his Rhodes. I love both versions.
A
big thank you
I
would like to give my warmest thanks to Gary Holder who is so
inspiring to work with and always so positive and patient. Also to
our special guests Mike Piggott, Mark Edwards and Joe Ellis for
playing with us and giving us their wonderful music, as well as their
advice. To Graham Noon of Eversfield Studio, for his endless
patience, and excellent recordings. Boro in Bulgaria who mastered the
CD and also encouraged us from a distance.
I
would like to thank Jerry Turnbull from Horsham Folk Club for
introducing me to Lori McKenna's and Dave Carter's music, and for his
enthusiastic encouragement. I have Mark Burton from the swimming
pool, who has advanced my musical education hugely, while in the deep
end, to thank for introducing me to Stop. Thank you to all our
friends at Horsham Folk Club and the Washington Music Club for their
support and encouragement and wonderful evenings spent sharing live
music. To my husband Dave, for giving his time and huge support,
together with his (always constructive!) criticism.
Julie
Roberts, 2008. |
