Phoenix has been inspired by some of her favorite artists – Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, KT Tunstall and Rachel Yamagata – but there is no mistaking her own unique style.She will tell you that her most important inspiration came from her parents.
“Both my mom and my dad influenced my love of music by making sure that it was always around. They had broad and eclectic musical tastes, which exposed me to all kinds of music and artists as I was growing up. When I was little they took me to see the Canadian children’s singer Raffi in concert, and it may have changed my life. He became my first favorite artist, and my first favorite song became his “Baby Beluga.”
“I saw my dad ‘in concert’ a lot. He played mandolin, banjo, and guitar in a bluegrass band and they would come over to our house and set up in the living room and play all night. I was too young to understand why I liked it, but I knew I needed to be a part of it. I learned how to hold three chords on the mandolin so that I could play along with my dad and everyone to songs like ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’ and ‘I’ll Fly Away’.”
Phoenix got her first guitar when she was 16. “Unfortunately, I was never able to take lessons or really get into it because I was too into sports,” she admits. “Later on, I picked up a guitar book and tried learning a few chords on my own. Then more. Then I started to sing and play. After a few months I was writing and getting lost in music again.”
In 2008, Phoenix began working on the “Save Love” album. “I was given the opportunity to finally put a few songs down in a studio – just me and a guitar. The plan was to record 4-5 songs so I could give them to my family. The 4-5 songs turned into 6-8 songs with some players. Then came a horn section.”
About this same time, Phoenix was given another opportunity – to go to Stockholm, Sweden, to meet with songwriters. “It was a wonderful, productive and rewarding experience.” She worked with two of Sweden’s best-known writer/producers, both with extensive and impressive international resumes. Her songwriting collaboration with them resulted in two songs for the album – “Until We Meet Again” with Mats Valentin, and “Disconnected” with Mathias Wollo.
As she was finishing the last vocal on the final song on the CD, Phoenix was overjoyed. “To me, this is unbelievable, and not in a million years did I think I would be this far on a dream. I had to take a second to soak it all in. There is a lot that went into this album from start to finish and I will take it with me forever.”
“Save Love” was released out on the 26th of October.
nice - great new sound
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