A T L A S T ! !

August 10, 2011 No Comments

 

 

 It was not long after my very first music project took flight that I was hit with thoughts for the next one. 

I wanted to record an album to salute the military.

I have expressed it many times in previous blogs how much the military means to me… How grateful I am to the

men and women who have volunteered to wear a uniform to serve and protect our great country.

After skirting around the edges of this dream for months, the real work began this week. Sunday afternoon.

 

I was standing in front of a microphone inside record producer Chip Shearin’s studio in Raleigh. Fully relaxed. Singing my heart out. We were making music in a way I’ve never made music before.

The two songs we worked on are songs you’ve never heard before.

I am not singing other people’s songs… In their keys.. To the rhythm of their musicians. That’s how I did it last year when I released my CD: The Full Measure of a Woman.

Not this time.

Chip, who is by the way an amazing bass player..  wrote one of the songs, and he had a hand in crafting the other one . I love them both so much.

The song titles are: “That’s Home” and “Yesterday”. Gems.

I recorded the lead vocals behind the music Chip and his magically talented partners created. What’s more, I recorded the background vocals.

What I like about “That’s Home” is that it has turned into a kind of anthem of thanks to the military. The song recalls some of the small, ordinary things that turn out to matter a whole lot when you are on foreign soil.. Millions of miles from the familiar: kids riding bikes, home cooking, a girlfriend’s beauty when you’re going out on a date.

“Yesterday” is a beautiful love song. It speaks of a strong yearning to hold on to feelings that have died.

It was harder work in the studio than I expected really. Do -overs.. And more do-overs!! I’ve never had to that level of harmonizing on songs in the past. To get it done, I sang each song three times, and Chip will ultimately choose the best of what he’s hearing.  What I really like is that he’s allowing me to connect with my inner self in a powerful way.

The bar for excellence was set extremely high that day. It took hours just to get the basics done for those two songs. There is quite a bit of work ahead cleaning and mixing/mastering and touching up.

The happy part for me is that I’m fully on my way. 100 percent!

  

Onward + Upward!



　

~ I don’t sing because I’m happy; I’m happy because I sing. ~ William James



Tags: Chip Shearin, recording, studioMy Musical Journey, The Personal Side