Band: Lesley Kernochan
Album: The Hummingbird Revolution
VÖ: 08.11.2019
Label/Vertrieb: Make My Day Records / Indigo
Bandwebsite: www.lesleykernochan.com
This is The Hummingbird Revolution, this is a prayer for peace (aus dem Titeltrack).
Das neue Album der US Songwriterin Lesley Kernochan fängt nicht etwa da an, wo A Calm Sun, ihr hochgelobtes 2017er Album aufhört, sondern nimmt ganz bewusst den einmal gesponnen Faden auf und führt ihn weiter. Weiterhin sind Country und Folk elementare Bestandteile ihres Sounds, doch gemäß der kosmopolitischen Aussage die das inhaltliche Gerüst ausmachen, halten nun auch auch World und Jazz Klänge Einzug in ihre Klangwelten. So universell bisweilen traditionell die Musik auch ist, so zeitgemäß sind die Texte. Gemäß ihres Naturells zeichnet Lesley keineswegs die Welt in grauen Farben, sondern kleidet ihre Hoffnungen, Wünsche und Gedanken in poetische und vor allem positive Lyrics.
Wandelbar, vielseitig und zielsicher führt ihre großartige Stimme durch 10 Originale aus eigener Feder, aufgenommen mit namhaften Musikern der LA Szene und von Scott Jacobyklanglich erstklassig in Szene gesetzt.
Lesley über das Album
Some of the intention behind this album:
After reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Love Letter to the Earth,I thought “I want to write a love letter to the Earth! A musical love letter!” And so I did. It’s called The Hummingbird Revolution, made up of ten different love letters in song form. Love letters to people, things, plants, animals, sun, rain, fruit, being.
The Sound:
Each album comes out a certain way, and leads me to feeling curious about something new. My previous album, A Calm Sun, is very clean to my ears, and so this time the experiment was to use the same stellar team of musicians and engineers, but have a more raw approach to the recording. We didn’t use any click track, and almost all of the parts were recorded as a band together, rather than overdubbing (including the vocals.) I was also eager to embrace more of the full spectrum of music that comes through me, and so we recorded a wider range of styles and stories.
The Title:
It seems to be a powerful time for Homo sapiens. We are being called to invent profoundly new ways of existing so as not to destroy ourselves. From where I’m standing, this revolution is a heart-based one in which we stop pushing everyone away to get to the top, and come back down to the dirt to listen, to cultivate genuine wellness, to respect the planet and each other. The little hummingbird is a warrior, with the largest heart relative to its body size of the animal kingdom. In the front cover, even the speedy hummingbird stops, sits, and contemplates the moon. “This is The Hummingbird Revolution, this is a prayer for peace.” * lyrics from the title track
QUOTES zu: A Calm Sun / 2017 (Auszug)
Rolling Stone 1/17
4 von 5 Punkten
Toller Countrypop aus der Perspektive der 702-L.A. Folkszene...Eingehüllt in sanft puckernde Trommeln undsanfte Wurlitzer Sounds klingt Kernochan manchmal ein wenig nach Ricky Lee Jones oder Linda Ronstadt, im Tonfall gelegentlich auch nach Gillian Welch.
Audio 1/17
4 von 5 Punkten
Lesley Kernochan ist in der Lage, innerhalb der Country Genregrenzen zu bleiben und dennoch Stücke zu fabrizieren, die sämtliche Klischees vermeiden
NRZ 03.01.2017
Kernochans Stimme ist ein Genuss – und aus einem Guss: geschmeidig, hell, klar, wohltönend...Sehr hörenswert.
Tip Berlin
4 von 5 Punkten
...vor allem spürt man die Liebe zum Genre in den selbstgeschriebenen Stücken
Concerto 1/17 (AT)
...verfügt nicht nur über einegroßartige Stimme, sondern schreibt auch clevere, hoch melodiöse Songs. Man addiere dazu noch eine erstklassige Begleitband....die für wunderbar flockige, zart groovende Arrangements sorgt, und kommt auf ein Americana –Album des Jahres.
Folker 1/17
...Jedenfalls geht sie mit dem Genre Country ähnlich entspannt um wie Kollegin Norah Jones mit dem Jazz... Gute Songs, tolle Musiker, tolle Stimme
The Hummingbird Revolution
Musicians:
Lesley Kernochan – Vocals, Guitar, Bari Sax
Dean Parks – Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Mandolin
Dan Lutz – Bass
Aaron Sterling – Drums, Percussion
Jeff Babko – Keys
Additional Musicians:
Yacouba Sissoko – Kora (Heaven is on Earth)
Adam Levy – Guitar & Bass Ukelele (Heaven is on Earth)
Jon Gray – Trumpet (Maiden of the Gray Fortress)
Katy Gunn – Violin (Midnight)
Uncle Danny – Chanting (Midnight)
Produced and Mixed by Scott Jacoby At Eusonia Studios, NY
Assistant Engineer Zach Ezickson
Recorded byJeremy Miller at EastWest Studios, LA
Assistant Engineer Bo Bodner & Matt Dyson at The Village, LA
Assistant Engineer Lazaro Zarate
Mastered byEmily Lazar at The Lodge, NY
Assisted by Chris Allgood
Infos zur vorherigen VÖ:
Band: Lesley Kernochan
Album: A Calm Sun
VÖ: 16.12.2016
Label: Make My Day Records / Indigo
Website: www.lesleykernochan.com
Nachdem sie bereits ein A capella Album und eine Songkollektion die sich stilistisch aus den Bereichen Americana, Folk, Rock, Jazz und Pop nährt, sowie ein Kinder Album, das mit dem Parent’s Choice Gold Award ausgezeichnet wurde aufgenommen und selbstständig veröffentlicht hat, geht sie nun einen ganz großen Schritt nach vorne und hat mit A CALM SUN ein Country(folk) Album aufgenommen, dass die Vergleiche mit Kollegen wie Dolly Parton, Eleni Mandell oder Gillian Welch nicht zu scheuen braucht.
Mit ihrer 4 Oktaven umfassenden Stimme steht Lesley stets und zu Recht im Mittelpunkt der 14 abwechslungsreichen Tracks, die sie neben ihrem eigenen Input an Klavier und Gitarre durch das Who is Who der LA Szene (u.a. Dean Parks /guitars, Aaron Sterling/drums, Jeff Babko/keys, and Dan Lutz/bass) veredeln ließ. (weitere Info im Anschluss).
A CALM SUN ist ein modernes Country Album, liebäugelt ebenso mit poppigen Strukturen wie auch Versatzstücken aus Folk, Americana und Jazz. Produziert und klanglich auf top Niveau gebracht von Scott Jacoby (Producer/Mixer u.a. John Legend, Rachel Brown, Ronnie Spector) und Emily Lazar (Mastering u.a. David Bowie, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Sinead O’Connor, Bjork, Destiny’s Child...) lässt es auch im Sound keine Wünsche offen.
Im Januar /Februar wird sie ihre Songs live präsentieren.
Die Künstlerin über sich selbst:
I had two distinct moments as a child when I suddenly noticed the pure bliss I was in because of music. (Thank you Ella Fitzgerald and Paul Simon.) This sparked the passion in me to pass this joy on. Then after a particularly potent cup of coffee one day in 2004 I daydreamed that if I had two weeks to live I would lock myself in my bedroom and create an album with that time.
Much longer than two weeks later came the birth of my first album Undulating, a collection of a cappella songs that explore the jellyfish-like mind. It was performed live by a group of fabulously talented friends in Portland, Oregon, and we called ourselves The Jellyfish Chorus. A few years later came The Pickle Jar, a full band experience of exploring different forms of magic involved in turning life's pickles into beautiful sunsets. This album has traveled around the world (including on airplane radio stations) and won CDBaby Editor's Pick of the Week upon it's release.
Then came the surprise twist of creating a children's album A Day in the Life of a Boogaleeboo. It was a wonderful assignment from the gods to return to the simple and silly, and received a Parent's Choice Gold Award. In 2016 I released Dragon in the City, which is a collection of songs from over the years that I was particularly fond of. It is a wild mix of the bawdy goofball that I am, and the wounded healer journey.
The Musicians, Engineers, and Recording Studios of A Calm Sun
Dean Parks (guitars) – In 1970 Dean moved to Los Angeles to work with Sonny & Cher, and since then has become a legendary studio musician contributing to the albums of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Elton John, B.B. King, Billy Joel and countless others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Parks
Aaron Sterling (drums/percussion) – Aaron is a drummer/producer who is associated with hundreds of albums including those of Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles, The Civil Wars, Kris Kristofferson, Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple, and more. He plays drums and percussion for John Mayer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Sterling
Jeff Babko (keys) – Jeff has been playing keys and composing/arranging for the Jimmy Kimmel Live show since 2002. He was recently on tour with Steve Martin and Martin Short, and has collaborated with many genres and musicians big and small throughout his career. https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/artists/jeff-babko/
Scott Jacoby (Producer/Mixer) – Scott is a Grammy award winning producer/engineer/songwriter based in New York City. He is the founder of Eusonia Studios and has worked with a variety of musicians and studios including John Legend, Rachel Brown, Ronnie Spector, HBO and Universal. http://eusoniastudios.com/
Emily Lazar (Masterer) – Emily is a mastering engineer in New York City who has mastered for many of the great artists including David Bowie, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Sinead O’Connor, Bjork, Destiny’s Child… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Lazar
Dan Lutz (bass) – Lutz has been an essential in the LA studios for a few decades now as well as performing on The Acedemy Awards, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Ellen. He has also played with Joan Osbourne, Taylor Hicks (American Idol Winner), and has been in many Broadway musicals.
The Village Studios – The Village is an icon in West LA. It was once a Masonic temple, and since then has been the home of many great albums by artists such as Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, Lady Gaga, just to mention a few. http://villagestudios.com/
EastWest Recording Studio – In Hollywood sits the great EastWest Studio where albums by Justin Timerlake, Jason Mraz, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers were made. It is also the recording studio for music in American Idol, The Voice, and Glee.http://www.eastweststudios.com/
