|
Coming off her
nation-wide Canadian tour last summer, singer-songwriter Christine Evans has
produced a second CD that builds upon the critically acclaimed strengths of her
recording debut. Push features a song cycle of the young
musician's well-crafted, whip-smart original songs driven by a dozen, organic
and pulsing soundscapes.
Christine co-produced
the new CD with veteran studio wizard Tom Hall, who has worked with a Pantheon
of pop, rock and jazz stars. Hall says, "Just when I think I have a grasp of
Christine's talents, she surprises anew. Each time we work together she reveals
exciting new facets of her craft." He goes on to say, "Her music is compelling,
powerful and timeless."
"I learned so much
watching Tom produce my first CD, Take Me Home, and that allowed me to be
much more involved in the production of my new album." Christine explained from
her dorm room at Interlochen Academy, an arts school in Michigan with famous
alumni including opera star Jessye Norman and jazz-pop diva
Norah Jones. "The title, Push comes
from my belief that, in order to effect change, we all need to Push the
boundaries and ourselves to the limit."
As with Christine's
brilliant debut CD, (the title track was chosen Vancouver Island Music Awards
Song of the Year and included on Women & Song Volume 8 along with
recordings by Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, and
Jewel, who studied theatre, writing and art at Interlochen in the 1990s.), the
heartfelt lyrics on Push are vivid, revelatory narratives of surprising
maturity and wisdom. The young musician has been studying Jane Eyre at
school (while listening to the music of Ani DiFranco, U2,
and Switchfoot), and her new songs bristle with searing honesty and strength.
The recording opens
with A Nation Redeemed, Christine's ethereal vocals soaring over a
driving beat that hammers home her most political message. The title track
follows with an even more dramatic, octave-spanning reading framed by a richly
orchestral rock arrangement. There's an undertow-like pull behind her stark,
emotive songcraft on the achingly sweet Believe.
Give It Up
might be the most masterful and compelling composition from a collection of a
dozen, beautifully shaped original songs. A liquid guitar intro and Christine's
most vulnerable vocal shift into overdrive, riding a Stones-like rhythm riff
through an anthemic chorus that rings like a clarion call between the song's
ruminative verses: "...This temporary place, this momentary phase is smaller
than we see..." Evans goes on to explain, "I think that this world is only
one piece of a much larger picture, so it's always important to look beyond
ourselves and our own lives."
An Artist Ambassador
for Kids Help Phone, the 24-hour hotline for children and youth, Evans spent
last August touring Canada from Vancouver to Montreal in support of the agency.
She also donates $1 from the sale of each CD to Kids Help Phone.
The young musician
wrote all of the songs on her debut recording, many before she was a teenager.
She's been writing songs since she was seven, and her songwriting continues to
develop by leaps and bounds. On Push her songs reveal a depth of feeling
and insight with concise, pop poetics and delicious melodic hooks.
Called "a very gifted
singer-songwriter" by one of her mentors, Peter, Paul & Mary folk great Peter
Yarrow, Christine continues to work on her singing with famous, New York-based
vocal coach Bill Riley. Riley has coached Celine
Dion, Faith Hill, and members of the
Metropolitan Opera, and Evans has taken his instruction and her studies at
Interlochen to heart on Push. Dazzling displays of vocal pyrotechnics
punctuate her haunting, powerful readings.
Push
is a triumph.
The album Push won Album of
the Year at the 2007 Vancouver's Island Music Awards.
Christine Evans will be having her
video premier during Canada's Covenant Award (click here for press release)
Click here to read her May
2007 update
Click here to read her Nov. 2007 Tour Report
Bio from
Christine-Evans.com |
