Linda Draper - Edgewise
Label.........................: Linda Draper
Genre.........................: Folk
StoreDate.....................: May-21-2013
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 58.90 MB
Total Playing Time............: 37:13
Release Notes:
When Linda Draper was a little girl, she thought Gene VincentÆs
ôBe-Bop-A-Lulaö was written by her Dad. ôIt was my favorite song in the
whole world,ö she says. ôI was five-years-old, and he would sing and
play it on the piano.ö Raised just north of New York City, Draper
describes the scene, saying: ôIÆd dance around the room in the way that
only little kids who are too young to be self-conscious know how to do.ö
While growing up in a musical household with parents and siblings who
are all musicians (father Frederick is a classical guitar virtuoso who
studied with Andres Segovia), Draper listened to everything from Bach to
ôBopö from an early age, soon moving on to the church choir and then to
writing her own songs on the guitar as a teenager.
DraperÆs musical path led to tours throughout the US and UK where she
shared stages with Regina Spektor, Teddy Thompson, Kimya Dawson, Jesse
Malin, and Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing among many others, and her
varied influences were reflected in the half-dozen records that she
released over the years, including four LPs recorded with legendary
cult-icon, music producer Kramer (Ween, Low, Galaxie 500). Now, Draper
gets back to basics with her upcoming album Edgewise, scheduled for
release on May 21st, 2013.
ôWith this album, I feel IÆve come full circle,ö she says. ôI feel
myself returning to the roots that originally sparked my enthusiasm for
music.ö Produced by fellow singer-songwriter Matt Keating, Edgewise will
find fans in those who are equally as enamored of Leonard Cohen, Joni
Mitchell, and Nick Drake as Draper is.
ôOne of my personal faves on the record is called æHollow,Æ which was
actually partially inspired by Nick Drake,ö Draper says of the albumÆs
first single. On another album track, the dark ôShadow Of A Coal Mine,ö
Draper takes inspiration from Johnny Cash. The song is a favorite of her
producer, Keating.
ôI was humbled when Matt told me that he wanted to cover this song
someday,ö Draper says of Keating, the man she first worked with when
they recorded a cover of Elton JohnÆs ôGoodbye Yellow Brick Roadö
together. ôOn the way to that recording session, I found out that my
Great Aunt had passed away at 103-years-old,ö Draper remembers. ôI
didnÆt want to be a downer on the session, so I kept the news to myself,
but I put all of my feelings of loss into the song that day.ö
The story is a microcosm of DraperÆs passion for singing and writing. ôI
feel like IÆm better able to connect and convey what I am thinking,
feeling and observing through music,ö she says. ôSometimes things that
are so close to the heart get lost in regular conversation, like trying
to describe a dream.ö
While Edgewise contains the serious overtones that once moved Time Out
New York to compare Draper to Joan Baez, overall the record is generally
more rock-n-roll oriented than previous efforts. ôIÆve reconnected with
the fun of recording, and have moved away from that clichΘ of the
self-pitying folk-singer with a guitar,ö Draper candidly jokes. ôItÆs a
pitfall that countless singer-songwriters fall into, but misery is a
bore.ö
The record still maintains the gentle sway of DraperÆs earlier
recordings, but the elements of rhythm that came about when she was
writing the album have compelled her to rock out a little more. Before
she began recording Edgewise, Draper tried the tunes out on tour,
becoming meticulous in her song selection, and spending time working to
better her guitar playing in preparation for the studio.
ôThe album took nine months to make,ö she says. ôIn a way, itÆs my
baby!ö This familial description of DraperÆs relationship with her music
isnÆt just for effect. Her earliest musical memories of dancing around
the room with Dad on the piano inspire her to this day.
ôI write songs to connect and to continue, through the music. For the
odd-ball, the loser, and the loner that exists within us all. ItÆs a lot
cheaper than therapy without any of the side-effects of medication,ö she
notes of the practical nature of her work, before adding more
philosophically, ôSomeone once asked me if music is what I do for a
living, and I responded, 'No, but itÆs what I do for my life.'ö
Linda DraperÆs latest album Edgewise is scheduled for release on May
21st, 2013. The albumÆs first single ôHollowö is streaming now.
Tracklisting
01. Glass Palace 3:55
02. Right On Time 3:20
03. Hollow 3:09
04. Edgewise 4:18
05. Take It From Me 3:27
06. Sleepwalkers 3:04
07. Shadow Of A Coal Mine 2:55
08. Blackbird 2:12
09. Live Wire 3:27
10. In Good Hands 4:40
11. So Long 2:46
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