Tag: Anna Mitchell

New Song of the Week – SomeRiseSomeFall feat. Anna Mitchell: “Funny Time of Year”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews6 Comments

SomeRiseSomeFall (SRSF) is an independent collaborative music project consisting of songwriters, musicians and vocalists based in Cork, Ireland. The brainchild of Michael Fitzgerald, who refers to his project as “a musical eclective producing music for the human condition”, SRSF brings together folk, rock and traditional Irish musicians for the purpose of focusing on the transformational power of music. The ever-evolving collective brings together artists and vocalists such as John Blek, Rowan, Anna Mitchell, Kevin Herron, Marlene Enright and a large cast of musicians with producer Brian Casey, videographer Allie Glynn and artist Riona NI Riagain to interpret & reimagine classic or important songs for unique new recordings.

In addition to being all about the music, SRSF is passionate about many social issues, including raising awareness for, and improving the treatment of, asylum seekers in Ireland, and promoting greater awareness and understanding of mental health issues. Proceeds from SRSF’s music go towards charitable groups who are helping with both of these issues. Their music is available for download/purchase from http://www.somerisesomefall.com and all online music sites.

SRSF released their debut album Some Climb in 2017 via FITZZ Records, featuring musicians Martin Leahy, Hank Wedel, Edel Sullivan, Annette Buckley and Ger Wolfe (which you can listen to on Spotify). Last February (2020) they released the emotionally-charged “The Rain Came Down on Everything“, the first single from their forthcoming album No Simple Highway, due for release on February 26th. Fitzgerald stated that the guiding philosophy of the album is “to connect and uplift those dealing with the challenges of love, loss and grief, and I and the musicians involved are convinced of the positive effect of connecting people to their own emotions and through this, discovering empathy and kindness.” They’ve since continued to release more singles, the latest of which is “Funny Time of Year“, a stunning and bluesy song I’m delighted to choose as my New Song of the Week.

“Funny Time Of Year” was written by Beth Gibbons (of Portishead) and Paul Webb (aka Rustin Man, and former bassist of Talk Talk), and originally released on their 2002 album Out Of Season. Like the previous SRSF single “The Rain Came Down On Everything”, “Funny Time of Year” features captivating vocals, piano and keyboards by Anna Mitchell (whose wonderful self-titled album I reviewed three years ago), Hugh Dillon on acoustic and electric guitars, Brian Hassey on bass, David Murphy on steel guitar and Davy Ryan on drums and percussion. The song was produced and mixed by Brian Casey at Wavefield Studios and mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering. Proceeds from sales of the single will go to the Cork Simon Community, a local homeless shelter in Cork City.

Everything about “Funny Time of Year” is perfection, from the stellar arrangement, intricate bluesy guitars, subtle bass line, and lush keyboards to those achingly beautiful and pedal steel chords that at times sound almost like they’re weeping. It all works to create a melancholy, yet sublime, soundscape. Then there’s Anna’s gorgeous, vibrato-tinged vocals that beautifully convey an intense vulnerability and sense of sad resignation as she laments over a lost love. I didn’t think Anna and company could top “The Rain Came Down on Everything“, but they’ve succeeded quite nicely.

These silent words of conversation
Hold me now this adulation
See me now
Oh it’s easy now

Falling like a silent paper
Holding on to what may be

And I only hear
Only hear the rain

And many rains turn to rivers
Winter’s here
And there ain’t nothing gonna change
The winds are blowing telling me all I hear
Oh it’s a funny time of year
There’ll be no blossom on the trees

Turning now I see no reason
The voice of love so out of season
I need you now
But you can’t see me now
I’m travelling with no destination
Still hanging on to what may be

It’s a funny time of year
I can see
There’ll be no blossom on the trees
And time spent cryin’ has taken me in this year
Oh it’s a funny time of year
There’ll be no blossom on the trees

Falling like a silent paper
Holding on to what may be
It’s a funny time of year

I can see
There’ll be no blossom on the trees
And time spent cryin’ has taken me in this year

Turning now I see no reason
The voice of love so out of season
I need you now
But you can’t see me now
I’m travelling with no destination
Still hanging on to what may be

To learn more about SomeRiseSomeFall, check out their Website and follow them on:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Purchase on Bandcamp / Website

SomeRiseSomeFall feat. Anna Mitchell – Single Review: “The Rain Came Down on Everything”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews4 Comments

SomeRiseSomeFall

SomeRiseSomeFall (SRSF) is a collaborative music project based in Cork, Ireland. The brainchild of Michael Fitzgerald, who refers to his project as “a musical eclective producing music for the human condition”, SRSF brings together a range of folk, rock and traditional Irish musicians with the aim of focusing on the transformational power of music. In addition to being all about the music, SRSF is passionate about many social issues, including raising awareness for and improving the treatment of asylum seekers in Ireland, and promoting greater awareness and understanding of mental health issues. Proceeds from SRSF’s music go towards charitable groups who are helping with both of these issues. Their music is available for download/purchase from http://www.somerisesomefall.com and all online music sites.

SRSF released their debut album Some Climb in 2017 via FITZZ Records, featuring musicians Martin Leahy, Hank Wedel, Edel Sullivan, Annette Buckley and Ger Wolfe (which you can listen to on Spotify). Now they return with a gorgeous new single “The Rain Came Down on Everything“, the first single from their forthcoming album No Simple Highway, due for release in October 2020. Fitzgerald explains the guiding philosophy of the album: “No Simple Highway is a musical attempt to connect and uplift those dealing with the challenges of love, loss and grief, and I and the musicians involved are convinced of the positive effect of connecting people to their own emotions and through this, discovering empathy and kindness.”

“The Rain Came Down On Everything” features captivating vocals and piano by Anna Mitchell (whose wonderful self-titled album I reviewed almost exactly two years ago), Brian Hassey on bass, Hugh Dillon on guitar, David Murphy on steel guitar and Davy Ryan on drums. The song was produced and mixed by Brian Casey at Wavefield Studios and mastered by Richard Dowling at Wav Mastering.  The song is a re-imagining of the original written by British musician and singer-songwriter (and founding but short-lived member of ELO) Roy Wood, and dedicated “to all who know that loss so often accompanies love“.

The instrumentals are really beautiful, highlighted by Mitchell’s sublime piano keys and Murphy’s mournful steel guitar. Mitchell has a lovely singing voice, and her heartfelt, vibrato-tinged vocals nicely convey a sense of vulnerability and sad resignation as she sings:

But the rain came down on everything
This time I really need your smile
But the rain came down on everything
I only had you for a while

The song’s languid tempo abruptly shifts in the bridge to a dramatic, almost celebratory feel, with heavier piano, guitar, bass and drums, only to calm back down to the somber opening tone that continues through to the end.

In advance of the single release, scheduled for the 28th of February, SRSF has chosen Valentine’s Day for the release of a stunning accompanying video for the song. It was directed, filmed and edited by Allie Glynn and stars Kelly Justin, who performs a powerfully moving interpretive dance that artfully expresses the raw emotion contained in the lyrics.

To learn more about SomeRiseSomeFall, check out their Website and follow them on:  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

ANNA MITCHELL – Album Review: “Anna Mitchell”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews5 Comments

Anna Mitchell album-cover

Anna Mitchell is a singer/songwriter based in Cork, Ireland, and she’s released an astonishingly beautiful album. Her self-titled Anna Mitchell dropped in January, and it’s as close to perfection as any recent album I’ve heard. This is Anna’s second studio album, which follows her 2015 debut effort Down to the Bone. With a lot of albums, it can take a couple of listens for the music to grow on me, but with Anna Mitchell I was blown away the moment I heard it. Each new track was a revelation, leading me to quickly recognize that here was an exceptional work of musical art.

Anna Mitchell

Drawing inspiration from some of the best singers and songwriters in music – including  Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Ray LaMontagne, Stevie Nicks, Tim O’ Brien, Bob Dylan, Shawn Colvin and Gillian Welch – Anna melds folk, country, Americana, rock’n’roll, pop and blues influences to create exquisite songs that speak to oft-covered subjects of love and relationships, and the joy and pain they bring. Her strong, clear vocals could easily go toe to toe with many of the aforementioned singers. The album was recorded independently, with musical assistance from well known Irish musicians Davie Ryan on drums, Brian Hassett on bass and Alan Comerford on guitar. It was engineered and co-produced by Brendan Fennessy.

Anna Mitchell opens with the gorgeous ballad “All These Things.” Anna immediately casts us under her spell with captivating vocals that seem to float and soar above layers of stunning, richly-textured guitars and a humming bass line. Davie Ryan provides just the right amount of percussion, and the lush horns add a jazzy flourish later in the track. The song’s unusual video is extraordinary:

Anna dials up the tempo on “It Pours,” a great pop-rock song with the kind of strong driving beat that I love. The bluesy guitars are terrific, and Anna’s sultry vocals turn passionate as she admonishes one to stop whining and start living: “Hold your tongue, hold your tongue, I’m not listening. You’re not the only one with sadness or sin. I feel the weight of the world creepin’ in. And if you don’t start kicking you won’t stop sinking. It pours outta you, outta you.” The trippy video shows blacklit images of faces painted with phosphorescent colors in the dark.

“Radio Waves” is a lovely but bittersweet Country-rock song with slide guitar, piano and organ as the primary instruments. Anna earnestly sings of escaping from life’s troubles through music: “Radio waves, audio slave, turn me up ’cause I’m down.” On “Never Learn,” Anna’s smooth vocals are accompanied by a bewitching piano melody as she tells someone their broken relationship is beyond repair: “You can waste your time, but keep your hands off mine. Past the point of no return.” Staying with that theme, on the Country-rock track “Get Out” Anna tells a man in no uncertain terms that she’s through with him: “It would be nice to stop and chat, but I don’t like you. Well they say that you’re a really good catch, but I don’t want you / Do you just feel like a man when you shout? Oh, get out! Just get out!”

One of my favorite songs is the rousing foot-stomper “Dog Track.” Thanks to heavy, distorted electric guitar, buzzing bass and pounding drum beat, the track’s harder and edgier than the others. And like the music, Anna’s echoed vocals are more aggressive as she snarls the lyrics about a guy she finds attractive who’s also bad news: “Is that a wolf howlin’ or is it just the wind? Well I met him down at the dog track. He was walking around like he was on the attack.”

Here’s an electrifying live performance of “Dog Track” with the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra.

Anna’s impressive songwriting talents are showcased on the melodically complex “Better Life.” The mysterious and powerful song features a strong bass line overlain with tremolo-heavy guitars and an array of instruments, including piano, slide guitar, organ, violin, and drums. “Slice of the Pie” is a call for respect for the working class in  their struggle to make a living: “You don’t judge a man, just by the way he found to feed his children. Everybody wants a slice of the pie. They’re just like you and I, trying to get by.” The album closes with Anna acknowledging she was wrong, asking her man to “Come Home.” She teases: “I like your bedside manner / Come home, when you coming back to me?”

Anna Mitchell is a phenomenal album that needs to be heard by as many ears as possible. I’m so glad Anna reached out to me, and I’m thrilled to do what I can help promote her and her incredible music.

Those of you in Ireland can see Anna and her band at one of these upcoming shows:

Saturday, February 10      Levi’s Corner House, Ballydehob  8 PM
Friday, February 16       Whelan’s, Dublin  8 PM
Sunday, February 18      John Cleer’s Bar & Theatre, Kilkenny  8 PM

Connect with Anna:  Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream her music on Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music
Purchase on Bandcamp or iTunes