Hey there! I hope everyone is well.
Well, here we are months later and finally – yes, FINALLY – we have the new CDs done! You can order “The First One” here. Hopefully this album will soon be available on iTunes and as many other places as possible. Please, by all means tell your friends! It will be much appreciated as I greatly rely on those who enjoy the music to spread the word – freely! And speaking of free, I've made two additional tracks available for free download that aren't on the CD. I hope you enjoy them and share them with your friends.
It's been an interesting journey getting to this point. It took longer to finish this project for various reasons; one of those was that was I was urged to add/include a cover tune. It seems to be a trend again, as it has been many times before in the recording world, to include one. One train of thought is that it makes certain individuals take notice as it is a song they recognize. Yet, I kept thinking, with so many songs (and people) out there, how do you absolutely know that these individuals will recognize the cover tune that you choose to record? What if they were so attached to the original that they can’t stand hearing another version of it or never liked it in the first place?!
Whew, this caused some second-guessing and much consultation with my buddies in the business. After all, I truly am inspired by great songs that people write – so many incredible, accomplished song writers out there. I’ve done my versions or interpretations of these songs when playing gigs but have not recorded one. I took a lot of time deliberating about this as I didn’t know if it would add to or take away from what was to be an all-original project. I came to the conclusion that there were a large number of original songs (16 of them) to be included on this CD already so I would include one cover tune and would do my best to enjoy the challenge. The originality is still there in that no one can or will put out a song exactly like you do – you may have heard similar words from me before and probably will again.
I chose “Dreaming of You,” written by Franne Golde and Tom Snow; a beautiful ballad that the wonderfully talented Selena had recorded right before her young life ended. When I first heard it, I was so moved by how effortlessly it flowed with her voice and how truthful and convincingly she shared what she was dreaming of. In recording this song, I tried to honor what she felt in dreaming about that special someone – in doing so, the song inspired me and evolved into an improvisation of my own dreaming. So interesting how something we consternate (um, I think that’s my mother’s word?!) about ends up positively affecting us and we emerge changed for the better.
I want to express how deeply I appreciate you taking the time to read a summary of my crazy brain waves. I know the world holds challenges on many levels for us right now and my back-and-forth on what to record doesn’t amount to an ant hill in the scheme of things – but faith on the other hand can and will move mountains. Please believe in good things happening and that they are yours to experience. Don’t let appearances deceive you…we are meant to prosper, thrive, and be happy in the process (I’m definitely speaking to myself as well). All the best to you and please keep that faith!
