Posted on Jul 4, 2011
One of Ireland’s most accomplished singer songwriters, Eleanor McEvoy, has embarked on an extensive UK tour. Her warm, lyrical songs are an open invite to get involved in what should be a breakthrough tour for her in Britain, for although her worldwide hit single “A woman’s heart” may be familiar, she has yet to make the household name list on these shores. You can hear a sample of her music here.
Coinciding with the tour is the release of her new album “Alone” a twelve track journey through the art, emotions and mind of this luxuriantly talented artist. If you think there’s a better song than “You’ll hear better songs (than this)” (;-)) released this year, then you have cloth ears. Her vocals, with that distinctive Dublin burr of hers, are heart-breakingly inspiring, and a counterpoint to the simplicity and accessibility of songs. The combination is an outstandingly listenable mixture that is both instantaneously likeable and insistent enough to be memorable. Liking McEvoy’s work is easy, because it’s beautiful.
Exposed to music at a very early age, Dublin born Eleanor McEvoy grew up in a strict Catholic household in the grey north-side suburb of Cabra. After a musical upbringing playing the piano, violin and performing on stage with her older siblings, Eleanor graduated in music from Trinity in Dublin and set out to pay her way through life as a jobbing musician. Already writing her own songs, she was waiting for the opportunity to branch out on her own. To initially pay her way, Eleanor spent 4 years in Ireland’s National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), she recorded studio sessions as a singer, fiddle and keyboard player and joined Irish diva Mary Black’s touring band. She then decided to cash in her savings and go for it; spending the cash on better song demos, home recording gear and a decent guitar.
Out of the blue, two chances came along at once. Mary and her record company manager/husband decided Eleanor’s song "A Woman’s Heart" would be a fitting title and lead song for the compilation they were putting together of contemporary Irish female performers. Simultaneously the legendary Tom Zutaut of Geffen Records (who signed the likes of Guns N Roses and Motley Crue), on a scouting mission to Dublin, heard Eleanor in a pub, bought her demo cassette and on the spot decided he wanted to sign her to Geffen.
Everything changed and Eleanor was off to tour the world, while at the same time A Woman’s Heart went into the Irish charts and still remains the biggest Irish selling record in the home market.
Zutaut’s departure from Geffen led to Eleanor re-signing to Columbia Records in New York. By this time she had a band and she cut the album "What’s Following Me?" Columbia reinvested, but Eleanor let the band go and went in to a French Chateau with producer Rupert Hine (Rush, Stevie Nicks, Tina Turner) and engineer Ruadhri Cushnan (George Michael, Mumford and Sons and the Maccabees). Events now took a lurch side-ways, as Eleanor was attacked walking home from the studio in London. Traumatised and with a damaged hand, Eleanor had to recruit a new band to tour the album. Sadly the album was not what Columbia had in mind, and after the briefest airing of "Snapshots", they let her go. (Bizarrely "Sophie", a song from the album has become a focus of hope and comfort for anorexics world wide on you-tube with videos made with the song as the soundtrack).
Having recovered and not about to give up, Eleanor moved to Wexford and recorded "Yola" a far more tranquil and thoughtful album, which remains to this day a talisman in the worldwide Hi-Fi community.
Embarking on full time song-writing during this period, she’s co-written with Rodney Crowell, Lloyd Cole, Henry (The Christians) Priestman and Johnny Rivers. Her most recent and longest writing companion has been Dave Rotheray of the Beautiful South. This culminated in the recording and performance of Dave’s "Life Of Birds" album. Eleanor co-wrote five of the songs, sang and played on several of the tracks and was a special guest on the album’s tour earlier this year.
MOSCODISC has announced the September 12th UK release for Eleanor McEvoy’s 9th studio album Alone; a beautiful collection of 12 stripped-down solo tracks, including the new single You’ll Hear Better Songs (Than This), A Woman’s Heart and a unique take on P.F. Sloan’s Eve Of Destruction.
Says Eleanor, "There was a time when I was stranded in a long gap between tour dates and, with time to kill, I headed for the peace of The Grange; a small studio tucked away in the Norfolk countryside. In the converted barn, alone except for Dave the engineer, I stepped up to the microphone and sang my songs. My state of mind wasn’t the brightest, but there was a certain something about being in the studio with no agenda, no deadline, no pressure, it just came out."
The product of those tranquil sessions is an album of incredibly haunting performances, up close, personal, and timeless. This is Eleanor McEvoy in her most intimate setting, running through the journey of her writing and singing career.
One of Ireland’s most accomplished singer/songwriters, McEvoy’s life as a musician began at the age of four. To date, she has released albums on the Geffen and Columbia record labels and continues to tour the world over to her ever increasing legion of fans.
Eleanor wrote and recorded the worldwide hit single A Woman’s Heart which was the title track on the album Only A Woman’s Heart; the best-selling Irish album in Irish chart history.
To coincide with the September 12th release of Alone, McEvoy will embark on a 16 date tour of the UK, which kicks off on September 21st in Birmingham.
Tour dates:
Wednesday 21st September
BIRMINGHAM GLEE
Tickets: £10 / Box Office: 0871 472 0400
www.glee.co.uk
The Arcadian, Birmingham, B5 4TD
Thursday 22nd September
HAMMERSMITH IRISH CENTRE
Tickets: £12 / Box Office: 0208 563 8232
www.irishculturalcentre.co.uk
3 Black’s Road, Hammersmith, W6 9DT
Friday 23rd September
WINCHESTER DISCOVERY
Tickets: £10 / Box Office: 01962 873603
Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8SB
Saturday 24th September
NOTTINGHAM GLEE
Tickets: £10 / Box Office: 0871 472 0400
www.glee.co.uk
British Waterways Building, Castle Wharf, Canal Street, NG1 7EH
Sunday 25th September
BRIGHTON KOMEDIA
Tickets: £10 / Box Office: 0845 293 8480
www.komedia.co.uk/brighton
44 – 47 Gardner Street, Brighton, BN1 1UN
Monday 26th September
PORTSMOUTH CELLARS
Tickets: £10 / Box Office: 0845 293 8480
www.thecellars.co.uk
56 Cromwell Road, Southsea,
Hampshire, PO4 9PN
Tuesday 27th September
STRATFORD UPON AVON COX’S YARD
Tickets: £10 / Box Office: 01789 404600
www.coxsyard.co.uk
Bridgefoot, Stratford on Avon, CV37 6YY
Wednesday 28th September
HEBDEN BRIDGE TRADES CLUB
Tickets: £11 / Box Office: 01422 845265
www.thetradesclub.com
Holme Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8EE
Thursday 29th September
KENDAL BOOTLEGGERS
Tickets: £6 / Box Office: 01539 723824
www.bootleggersbar.com
24 Finkle Street, Kendal, LA9 4AB
Saturday 1st October
BELLSHILL CULTURAL CENTRE
Tickets: £10 / 01698 403120
www.intimate-gigs.com
John Street, Bellshill, ML4 1RJ
Sunday 2nd October
GLASGOW SOUND IN THE SUBURBS
Tickets: £10 / 08444 155221
http://tinyurl.com/64frp6u
30 Chamberlain Road, Glasgow, G13 1QG
Monday 3rd October
EDINBURGH MALONES
Tickets: £8 / 0131 226 5954
www.wegottickets.com/event/124375
14 Forrest Road, Edinburgh, EH1 2QN
Wednesday 5th October
ESSEX HIGH BARN
Tickets: £10 / 01371 811 291
www.high-barn.com
28 The Bardfield Centre,
Great Bardfield, CM7 4SL
Thursday 6th October
OSWESTRY IRONWORKS
Tickets: £10 / 01691 679123
www.the-ironworks.co.uk
Church Street, Oswestry, SY11 2SP
Friday 7th October
BURY MET
Tickets: £10 / 0161 761 2216
www.themet.biz
Market Street, Bury, BL9 0BW
Saturday 8th October
COATBRIDGE BERRETS
Tickets: £8 / 01463 233 651
www.intimate-gigs.com
67 Church Street, Inverness, IV1 1ES
On Monday November 7th, world-renowned Australian “fingerstyle” acoustic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, will release his first ever album of holiday music, All I Want For Christmas (Favoured Nations Entertainment). Emmanuel, honoured as the CMA’s Global Artist this year, co-produced the album with veteran Nashville picker/arranger John Knowles, CGP.
Mont was founder member and main composer of the experimental rock group Egg (1969-1972). The CD is a sequel to his 1996 solo work Music from a Round Tower, which was placed third in the International Green Dolphin Critics’ Awards for that year, and continues his exploratory style of composition introducing rare non-western instrumental performance directly into western harmonic and formal structures. Musical contributors include Barbara Gaskin (vocals) and Julia Bishop of Red Priest (violin & viola). Mont’s performances include a wide variety of folk winds, strings and percussion, and keyboards.