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MP3 Brigitte DeMeyer - Something After All
11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, ROCK: Folk Rock
Details:
Brigitte DeMeyer’s career has been on the upswing since the success of her debut, Another Thousand Miles, released in 2001. Her second album, Nothing Comes Free, was released to widespread critical acclaim, earning DeMeyer national airplay and a slot opening for Bob Dylan at the KBCO World Class Rockfest in Winter Park, Colorado. On her latest effort, Something After All, the folk of today is given a new guise with her inspiring words laden with Southern groove. Working with producer and drummer Brady Blade of Emmylou Harris’ Spyboy Band, DeMeyer’s singing and songwriting take another quantum leap with a collection of strong originals and carefully chosen covers. “Brady and I became good friends after he played drums on my second album,” DeMeyer remembered. “He loved my writing and I loved the way he made my music come alive. At one point following those sessions, he told me he’d like to produce my next album. On Something After All, he worked with me to present the music the way it was felt when it was written, adding his own creative spin as well,” DeMeyer explained. “The musicians who played on the CD are some of the best in the world. The collaboration was easy because everyone was into the songs and we all appreciated each of each other’s talents. I think it’s my best writing so far.
DeMeyer and Blade assembled an impressive cast of musicians for Something After All, including Steve Earle on harmonica; Daniel Lanois on pedal steel and electric guitar; Buddy Miller on guitar and backing vocals; Rolling Stones band members Darryl Jones on bass and Bernard Fowler on backing vocals; Indigo Girl Emily Saliers on banjo and harmony vocals; Jimmy Pugh on keyboards (Chris Isaak, Robert Cray) and guitarists Joacim Backman, Johan Carlberg and Chris Rossbach. “Brady’s production helped give the album its soul,” said DeMeyer. “He created a vibe during the recording process that helped make every song on Something After All stand out by adding his arrangement skills, and by bringing in players who had a good feel for the mood I was trying to create.” The album was produced at Hyde St. Studios in San Francisco. Some tunes were recorded live as a band and some tracked piece by piece, or in separate studios, but they all resonate with DeMeyer’s soulful sincerity.
DeMeyer and Blade obviously enjoy working together. You can feel their exuberant energy in every track. For “Honey Darlin,” DeMeyer wanted a gospel feel and Blade captured it. “He recorded us clapping live in time to the music around a microphone, and recorded our boots stomping in time to the music with a mic on the floor. He also played his sticks on the floor and Bernard Fowler made up the background vocal part in one take. I wanted a churchy vibe and that’s what I got.” Steve Earle’s harmonica adds some bluesy, country grit to DeMeyer’s bright, bouncy take on Earle’s “More Than I Can Do.” “Steve is an inspired songwriter. The fact that he played on my album was a real treat for me. I’d say the two writers that have inspired me most are Bob Dylan and Steve Earle, so with him being on this CD I’m halfway home.”
“Daniel Lanois’ pedal steel on “Something After All” added just the right touch of sadness to the lyrics, which are about longing,” she continued. “It’s easier for me to write when I’m angst- ridden about something, than when I’m happy.” Buddy Miller adds his gruff harmony vocals to “By and By,” an almost religious ode to the redeeming power of love. “Buddy has influenced my songwriting, having listened to him for so many years with Emmylou and on his own,” she added. “To have him singing my lyrics was a dream come true, and a privilege. He added so much.” Miller also contributed his electric guitar and vocal harmonies to his own “You Wrecked Up My Heart,” a tale of a dysfunctional love full of his understated Southern humor. “The two songs on the CD closest to my heart are “Something After All” and “Ruby,” DeMeyer said. The backing vocals on “Something” are by Emily Saliers from the Indigo Girls, who also played banjo on “Mama’s On A Mission.” “The song ’Ruby’ was written at a very challenging time in my life and out of the challenge came this pearl.” Something After All is a diverse album, at turns soulful, rockin’ and bluesy, but every tune is marked by DeMeyer’s emotional singing and heartfelt songwriting. It’s an outing full of angst and joy, love in all its disguises, tears and subtle laughter. “It was great to share the recording process with artists who believe in my talent. It was a true collaborative effort. Painting pictures with words is my ultimate goal and I think I did that with this album.”
Born and initially raised in the Midwest, Brigitte DeMeyer first sang in gospel choirs as a child, instilling her with the blues, gospel and soul that inform her music. “My parents separately immigrated to this country from Europe and met in Michigan,” she said. “My dad was from Belgium, mom from Germany. My father was in the Navy so we moved a lot. I am the middle child of six children.” A later move to San Diego, California, found her soaking up the sounds of rock and country. She was soon performing, sitting in with bands like The Beat Farmers and The Soul Syndicate, as well as with college friend/songwriter Steve Poltz, who would later write songs for Jewel and play in her band. After college, DeMeyer relocated to San Francisco, eventually meeting up with guitarist Chris Rossbach and subsequently began performing in solo and duo settings. She also trained with renowned vocal coach Judy Davis and started writing her own material. “There isn''t just one way for me in songwriting,” DeMeyer explained. “I try to keep myself open to every experience because you never know when inspiration will hit. I try to figure out what I’m trying to say with the song or what kind of story I’m telling and be concise about it.”
Another Thousand Miles, DeMeyer’s 2001 debut, was a pleasing mix of Americana, country, rock and bluegrass. It featured performances by Mike Marshall (David Grisman, Choro Famoso) on fiddle and mandolin. DeMeyer’s songwriting and expressive, uncompromising vocals were noted in rave reviews from publications such as Blues Revue and Songwriter’s Monthly. Following that album’s release, DeMeyer began opening shows, with just her guitar and voice, for acts like Dan Fogelberg, Marc Cohn and Hall & Oates. “The challenge of performing solo helped me develop as a performer,” she admitted. “People can really hear your voice and instrumentally you have to rise to the occasion.”
Nothing Comes Free, DeMeyer''s second album, was released in 2003 and showcased a Delta-influenced mix of pop, folk and blues. It featured Brady Blade and bassist Tony Hall, also of Emmylou’s Spyboy band, guitarists Chris Rossbach and Stef Burns (Huey Lewis & The News), Tony Furtado on slide and Mike Emerson on keyboards. Special guest Ivan Neville played piano, Hammond organ and turned in a stunning vocal duet with DeMeyer on “By Yer Side.”
Something After All demonstrates DeMeyer’s continuing growth and confidence as both a writer and performer. Its insightful songwriting and DeMeyer’s dramatic vocal performances are sure to make it stand out in this year’s musical landscape.
WHAT THE PRESS HAS SAID ABOUT BRIGITTE DEMEYER:
BILLBOARD Magazine written by:~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide for
Brigitte DeMeyer is one of many singer/songwriters working on the edge of the commercial scene in the post-millennium, stylistically somewhere between folk and country. With her potent vocals and country-folk musical palette, DeMeyer has appeal to fans of alternative country (she even covers Steve Earle and Buddy and Julie Miller here) and soulful blues singers like Bonnie Raitt and Toni Price on Something After All. Despite her talent, DeMeyer''s dilemma is how to stand out in a crowded field of singer/songwriters who cover similar material in a similar way. One of the nice things about Something After All is its strong material that benefits from a sense of popcraft. It isn''t that songs like "Honey Darlin''" sound like pop, but that DeMeyer -- borrowing a groove that could''ve come from an early Little Feat album -- knows how to write a good hook and keep her songs tuneful. With the help of a couple collaborators here and there, she smartly keeps most of her songs under four minutes, writes singable choruses, and doesn''t use the same flavored arrangement from song to song. To keep things interesting, she also throws in a duet with Buddy Miller on "You Wrecked Up My Heart" and includes a couple of nicely delivered ballads. Something After All is a finely wrought country-folk album.
NO DEPRESSION MAGAZINE-April/May 2006
"(Brady Blade''s) thoughtful arrangements, built upon organic and atmospheric elements, provide the perfect setting for DeMeyer''s soulful vocals. The results sound something like Sheryl Crow backed by Emmylou Harris'' Spyboy band (no surprise considering Blade served as Spyboy''s drummer). Impressive from start to finish, this disc should be DeMeyer''s breakout effort."
-Vintage Guitar Magazine-June 2006 Edition
Brigitte DeMeyer
Something After All
Bayside Distribution
The quality of a songwriter and singer can often be measured by who chooses to play behind them. On Brigitte DeMeyer''s third album Something After All she assembles an impressive list of alt-country stars including Steve Earle, Daniel Lanois, Buddy Miller, Darryl Jones, and producer Brady Blade. The resulting album combines the organic edge of Emmylou Harris'' Spyboy with the ethereal lyricism of Wendy MaHarry. DeMeyer''s original material combines just the right amount of backbone with beauty. Her own tune, “Good as Gone,” holds its own even when compared to Steve Earle''s “More Than I Can Do,” which precedes it on the CD. Something After All serves up a heap of powerful music. – Steven Stone
People who are interested in Sheryl Crow Emmylou Harris Patty Griffin should consider this download.
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