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.

The pair collaborated on new arrangements for nine Yuletide classics including I’ll Be Home For Christmas, The Christmas Song, and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Emmanuel also wrote one original for the collection – “One Christmas Night” – and arranged a second new composition, The Magic Of Christmas Time, by Rick Price, who plays piano on the song.

“People have asked me about doing a Christmas album so many times over the last 20 years,” says Emmanuel. “When I had time to really get into this project, it just had a life of its own, and was so easy to make because we all loved the music so much.  It’s exciting that there will be so many fans happy about it coming out.”

Most of the arrangements for All I Want For Christmas came together via Skype, while Emmanuel was on tour internationally, and Knowles – who also plays guitar on the album – was home in Nashville prepping.

Emmanuel employed several guitars for the sessions, relying heaving on a new David Taylor model that he says, “has a singing quality to it, a beautiful voice.” Everything was recorded at Beech Creek Studios in Franklin, TN with Kim Person, who has produced Emmanuel’s last five albums.

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

Today sees the release of Bon Iver’s second album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver. Featuring ten new songs penned by Justin Vernon, the album expands the group’s sonic palette beyond the rustic acoustics of the debut. A lush landscape of silky electric guitars, intricate keys, and subtle horn and string sections, Bon Iver, Bon Iver retains the ghost choirs and densely layered vocals intact that Bon Iver is widely celebrated for.

Painstakingly crafted over three years, the album was recorded and mixed at April Base Studios, a former veterinarian’s clinic in Fall Creek, WI, converted into a recording studio by Vernon and his brother. Bon Iver regulars Sean Carey, Mike Noyce and Matt McCaughan contributed vocals, drums and production; Rob Moose (Antony and the Johnsons, The National) helped with arranging and strings; and Jim Schoenecker and Tom Wincek provided processing. The album also features the pedal steel of Greg Leisz (Lucinda Williams, Bill Frisell) and a horn section including Colin Stetson (Tom Waits, Arcade Fire), Mike Lewis (Andrew Bird, Happy Apple), and C.J. Camerieri (Rufus Wainwright, Sufjan Stevens).

Music From a Walled Garden, the new solo album by Dirk ‘Mont’ Campbell.

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.

This work is Ambrosia for the ears – but make no mistake, this is no rock album – it’s traditional folk music with a twist, ut I make no excuses for including it on Rock Rebels. It is superbly performed and produced, this is music with extraordinary integrity.  It’s lovely to hear those strange timbres play things which sound quite natural to them, although they are from such far-away lands and cultures: the harmonies and rhythms are beguiling. Once again, Mont has produced a beautiful, imaginative and thoughtful work with flashes of the humour that belie his ‘serious composer’ persona. All power to Dirk ‘Mont’ Campbell, one of the UK’s unsung musical geniuses.

Elaborate, beguiling and multi-faceted, Music From a Walled Garden is presented as an almost continuous sequence… there are many contrasting juxtapositions of material, presenting surprising twists and turns en route – you never quite know where the music will go next.

Mont Campbell says:  “In the mid-1970s I began to develop an interest in folk tradition and, increasingly, non-western music. Starting with the Balkans and moving through Greece and Turkey into the middle East, and then India and the far East, I gradually discovered a vast Aladdin’s cave of entirely new musical ideas and instrumental sounds. Since that time I have been learning and gestating these various forms of musical expression, and introducing them into western-style composition. I enjoyed writing the music and I hope you enjoy listening to it.”

Music From a Walled Garden (56 minutes) ships in a full-colour Digipak with a 12-page booklet containing track notes, photos and musical information by Mont Campbell. The CD is released on November 20th 2009 and may be pre-ordered now from the Egg Archive online store, operated by Burning Shed.

Tracks

1  Afrasiab (7:15)
2  Armadillo Mythology (2:06)
3  Glass Butterflies (6:09)
4  The Edge of Sleep (1:12)
5  Zeno’s Phantom Island (4:53)
6  The Salmon of Wisdom (3:39)
7  Provlepsi (8:51)
8  The Almanac of Azarquiel (2:21)
9  Calakmul (7:12)
10  Oecinial Reckoning (5:28)
11  Pibroch for the Midwinter Sun (3:00)
12  Sunrise Over Firle Beacon (2:26)
13  (Bonus track) Star Trek Theme (1:23)

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This is the new Rock Rebels site. We will be launching on 1st Nov 2009