A BLANKET AND A CUP OF HOT CHOCOLATE

A week ago, I released a 5 track record called HOME

Picture by Jendella Artwork by Charles Juba 

Prior to the release, I had the privilege of putting together a Living Room Sessions tour. 

Sharing music with a live audience is a beautiful thing because you have the opportunity to see people respond to the music you've been crafting and perfecting in your own little world or room in real time. 

Having to go into people's living spaces and sharing music with them, their friends and family was even a more beautiful experience because the gap between stage and audience is removed. I wanted that same feeling of closeness to be felt on my new record.

  

When you think of home, you immediately think of family. 

I have discovered that what also connects people apart from bloodline or DNA is music. I have seen it happen when I toured Paris and got to play with amazing musicians whose English speaking ability is way French's which is nonexistent and it made absolutely no difference. We just connected.

On this record, I wanted to play with friends and musicians that I've shared the stage with at some point and that's exactly what happened.

Cello - Nora Kalcheva | 2nd Guitars - Richard Burrell | Bass - Stewart Rawle | Drums & Percussion - Feranmi Ogunseyinde

Picture by Janssem Cardoso at Resident Studios

All five of us (and a six month old bump) spent ten hours recording together in one room with Simon Small at the desk. It's an experience I won't be forgetting for a long time. What a blessing to be supported by these musicians.

We later asked Mike Dunne to sprinkle some gold dust on Memories and did he do that or what?

When you ask anyone what home means to them, it's interesting to note that it means different things to everyone. For some, it's a space and for others, it's a state of mind. I wanted anyone who listened to this record to feel connected to that place they call home, their own comfortable place, their home. All I told Rohan Budd, who did an amazing job of lovingly piecing together everything we recorded in that room, was "imagine being wrapped up in a blanket and handed a hot cup of chocolate on a cold winter night"

Every artist will tell you that sharing your work with the world carries with it a whole lot of excitement as well as nervousness. You wrestle with your inner voice...

will it be well received?

oooh I hope the like it..

i should have tweaked that song here and then there

What I've come to learn is that, after all is said and done, you have to let it go... to my surprise though, the EP did climb to #53 on the iTunes chart a few hours after release. For some, that's nothing but for me, THAT IS AMAZING

I hope the record continues to reach out and finds it's way into people's homes, cars and cafes.

So when you listen to this EP I'd like you to close your eyes and allow yourself to be wrapped up in the voices, strings and rhythms coming out of your speakers into your ears, till your whole body is immersed in the music.

Thank you for telling a friend and a friend's friend :-) - below are the links to the new EP 

Stream - Spotify 

DOWNLOAD itunes
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/home-ep/id862416048