As we head into summer, we’ll all be looking for a happy holiday sound that we’ll play over and over on the car stereo as we head for the beach, the mountains, music festivals or wherever we’ll be hanging out with our besties and making memories. ‘Anywhere is Home’ could be that song.
Chirpy, catchy and filled with joy, ‘Anywhere is Home’ is the title track from Danielle Lewis’s third EP, a creditable follow up to her 2013 debut ‘Paper Hearts’ and self-released ‘Dreams Grow’, which brought Danielle to the attention of TV and radio programmes in her native Wales and placed her centre-stage at a number of prime festivals. This is definitely a track for kicking off your shoes and dancing on warm sand – and we defy you not to sing along to the hookline ‘anywhere is home’ – with a smile as big as the sunshine!
Before you read on, Danielle is giving a FREE download of “I’ll Wait”, from the album, to Angry Baby readers. If you’re not already subscribed to Angry Baby, just pop the email address that you’d like it delivered to here and it will be on its way to you straight away, together with a bumper collection of music that has been shared by Angry Baby. The music comes from outstanding artists that you may not have heard before. With a mix of rock, pop, folk…you name it…there’s bound to be something new that floats your musical boat, and all for free! What’s not to like about that?!
Danielle’s voice has been compared with Karen Carpenter and, although her tone is lighter, the effortless emotion that merits this comparison is apparent in the second track of the EP ‘I’ll Wait’. In complete contrast to ‘Anywhere is Home’, this is a soulful ballad that exudes romance and demands to be heard in the arms of someone special. Lovers of female vocalists will applaud the purity and control that flows from phrase to phrase, supported by the simplest of strings.
Reminding us that Great Britain is a multi-lingual country, Danielle’s third track is a reprise of ‘I’ll Wait’, sung in her native Welsh. ‘Aros’ (literally translated as ‘Stay’) brings a depth of pathos to the song which, coupled with the natural lyricism of the Welsh language, is sure to evoke a desire for the hills and valleys.
Supported by Charlotte Church’s company Bounce Publishing, and released by up-and-coming boutique label Folkstock Records, Danielle is emerging from her homeland, bringing with her a natural warmth and refreshingly clear vocals that deserve a place alongside singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega and Thea Gilmore.
Danielle’s advice to anyone just starting out with their music shows that she takes her career seriously, which brings the promise of longevity:
‘For me coming into music and trying to progress at the beginning felt more like a slow ascending slope, and still does, with no pressure, just passion from listening to my favourite songs and then singing to poems I wrote from the age of 12, before picking up the guitar at 14, which finally felt natural unlike the piano.
I think the important thing before the music is confidence. I started out on stage in school shows, choirs and attended a theatre class doing plays, pantomimes and discovered things I never knew my voice could do and I felt comfortable on stage.
The next thing would be to look at your songs/music, assess your natural style/genre, who your inspirations are, get 5 or 6 of your best/favourite songs finished and get gigging as much as possible. From this you will learn what feels right and what doesn’t. Being confident in your sound/style and even image or theme for these gigs are all things that will make the audience look and remember you. You might not be singing the same songs in 5 years time but at least you’ll know what makes you passionate about your sound and continue to develop it further.
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Anywhere is Home is released by Folkstock Records – get your copy here
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