Eleanor McEvoy - 'If You Leave...' new album press release
ELEANOR McEVOY
‘IF YOU LEAVE…’
RELEASE DATE: 6TH MAY 2013
LABEL: MOSCODISC
FORMAT: 1CD & DOWNLOAD
CAT # MOSCOCD4010
CELEBRATED IRISH SINGER’S TENTH STUDIO ALBUM INSPIRED BY
BRIAN JONES FEATURE IN MAGAZINE
Renowned for her intimate, emotional and uplifting performances, celebrated Irish musician Eleanor McEvoy releases her 10th studio album, ‘If You Leave…’, on May 6th 2013.
The inspiration behind McEvoy's new album came after reading a magazine feature that told the story about Brian Jones' role in “bringing The Rolling Stones together and helping them pursue an authentic blues sound.” McEvoy said, “Whilst I was preparing this album, I read this wonderful feature in MOJO. It was the spark that started the fire, and I started revisting some classic 60s albums by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, stuff like that. Not only is there a wonderful simplicity, clarity and depth to the sound, it was a very lucky era, in which it was acceptable to be both innovative and very successful. I wouldn't presume to emulate such great music, but let us say their creativity haunted our recording.”
For the sessions, McEvoy recruited the talentsof Grammy award-winning songwriter Jimmy Smyth on guitar, keyboard player James Delaney (Chuck Berry, Clannad), bassists Paul Moore (Van Morrison) & Eoghan O'Neill (Chris Rea, Moving Hearts) and drummer Des Lacey (Katie Melua), with special guests Brian Connor on piano and David Agnew on oboe.
McEvoy is also joined by guest vocalist Mary Coughlan, Gemma Hayes and Hermione Hennessy with Sharon Shannon on the accordion for the song ‘Secret of Living’. The song was written especially by McEvoy for a run of nine sell-out shows at The Olympia in Dublin to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the album ‘A Woman’s Heart’, the third biggest-selling album in Irish chart history which helped to establish McEvoy as a star in her home country. McEvoy said, “I thought I should write a song for all the performers who were going to be featured in the show, something like The Outlaws or The Traveling Wilburys, where everyone gets a chance to sing.”
Amongst the twelve songs on „If You Leave…' there are four cover versions, including The Beach Boys' ‘God Only Knows’, ‘Lift The Wings’ from the theatre show Riverdance, the Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly penned song ‘True Colors’ and Elmore James' „Dust My Broom'. The latter serves as the album's encore and is McEvoy's salute to Brian Jones, who is believed to have taught his contemporaries the blues standard's slide guitar part.
To support the release of „If You Leave...', Eleanor McEvoy will play the following UK tour dates:
(* appearing as special guest with Paul Kelly)
(** appearing as special guest with Lisbee Stainton)
11th April - Southampton, The Brook *
12th April - London, Cadogan Hall *
14th April - Glasgow, The Arches *
16th April - Dublin, Unitarian Church *
22nd May - Glasgow, The Glad Café
23rd May - Motherwell, Berits and Brown
25th & 26th May – Portsoy, Haal Festival,
23rd June – Colchester, Wivenhoe House Hotel
17th Aug - Dorchester Forever Sun festival
1st & 2nd Nov - Denholm Folk Festival Scotland
7th November Bromsgrove, The Artrix **
8th November Durham, Gala **
9th November Leeds, City Varieties **
10th November Canterbury, Gulbenkian **
12th November Hereford, Courtyard **
13th November Bury St. Edmunds, The Apex **
14th November Chesham, Elgiva **
15th November Southport, The Atkinson **
19th November London, Cecil Sharp House **
For further information please contact Dave Clarke at:
Tel:+44 (0) 7966 557774 or E-Mail: dave@planetearthpublicity.com
www.planetearthpublicity.com
‘If You Leave...’: Eleanor McEvoy’s track-by-track guide.
1. LAND IN THE WATER – “Dave Rotheray from the Beautiful South and myself do a lot of co-writing. This one, in fact was started by Dave and Nat Johnson and I joined in to finish it off. Like space travel, some lives shoot way up and come crashing back down, a forceful and unusual lyric to kick off the album. (Nat sings it on Dave's “Life Of Birds” album)”
2. DONT BLAME THE TUNE – “I intended this to be in that Blues/Soul tradition from the Deep South. It's mainly saying “Don't kid yourself Sweetheart, those harsh words aren't from my musical tools – they're from me.” The band nearly took it as far as the Bayou!”
3. GOD ONLY KNOWS – “You can't copy the Beach Boys, but you can sing a beautiful lyric. What makes this special, is the extraordinary piano playing. Brian Wilson's song, Brian Connor's playing...I'm a lucky girl.”
4. LISTEN TO ME – “One of those mid-relationship songs of frustration, but like a doctor, I can't say who it's about.”
5. ACHE IN MY HEART – “Ditto! Coy voice, venemous content! The glockenspiel gives it a retro feel.”
6. HEAVEN HELP US – “The reaction to a tragedy of a life cut short or a terrible event, it could be about anybody or anything, but I borrowed some words that Pete Townsend used about Brian Jones.”
7. IF YOU LEAVE... – “I originally wrote this song for, and was inspired by, Leanne Moore, an Irish singer with a very powerful voice. It was a ballad but it's more of a groove now. It depicts, whether for a short time or eternity, the terrible pain of seperation.”
8. LIFT THE WINGS – “Along with its dramatic dancing and stunning instrumental music Riverdance has some very special songs. This one is in a scene called „An American Wake', which portrays a post-famine tradition when people said goodbye to loved ones emigrating, assuming they would never meet again. Bill Whelan (the composer) asked me to sing it at a recent Orchestral Celebration of his music. He added a new verse, which I sang then, and include here.”
9. SECRET OF LIVING – “A Dublin promoter put together some concerts for the 20th anniversary of the “A Woman's Heart” album. I thought I should write a song for all the performers who were going to be featured in the show, something like „The Outlaws' or „The Traveling Wilburys” where everyone gets a chance to sing. So I am lucky to have Mary Coughlan, Gemma Hayes and Hermione Hennessy as the guest singers and the one and only Sharon Shannon on the accordion.” (This song is also on “Woman's Heart – The 20th Anniversary”)
10. I WISH YOU THE BEST – “This was going to be called “The Separation Waltz” but it seemed too harsh. Despite the misery of relationship breakdown, the singer bears no grudge.”
11. TRUE COLORS – “I was asked to do this on a radio show and it seemed to go down really well. The Beatles or The Stones would often have a more reflective slow track where they might use a string quartet, french horn or whatever. I wrote an oboe part for the unique David Agnew from the RTE Concert Orchestra.”
12. DUST MY BROOM – “According to many sources, including the recent article in MOJO, Brian Jones was the one who taught his contemporaries the slide guitar part on this blues standard.
It's my salute to him and it's „If You Leave...’s encore.”
“Thanks – see you all again” ELEANOR xox