Chambers, Nicholson record another CD
Friday, August 17, 2012 – Australian husband-and-wife team Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson's are putting out another disc, "Wreck and Ruin," on Oct. 22 on Sugar Hill.
"I hope people will get a sense of who we are as a couple," said Chambers, who is a multi-platinum artist in Australia. "I guess I mean that a little bit to do with who we are as a couple in our day-to-day life, but there's a certain sound that we create when it's only the two of us. We could not create that on any other solo album, or with any other artist...It's something that we've realized is really quite special. There are a lot of songs on this album that I don't think we could sing if we weren't married."
Chambers just released "Storybook" on July 30 on Sugar Hill.
Chambers and Nicholson met a decade ago when she sang on one of his records. They married at the end of 2005 and released their first duets album, "Rattlin' Bones," in 2008. They toured behind the project for three years.
For "Wreck and Ruin," the couple, who are parents to three young children, wrote the bulk of the new material in a remote writing cabin about an hour and a half from their home. The project was recorded in Foggy Mountain Studios, owned by Chambers' brother Nash Chambers - located in a valley in the Australian bush, far from mobile phone access.
"We put together a whole new band for this album and got together with them a few days before we started recording," Nicholson said. "We hung out around the studio just jamming songs and getting comfortable with each other, but we didn't prep the album songs too much. It was more about creating a sense of ease between everybody before we got to work."
Chambers said, "When we were recording it and Shane was talking to the band, he said, 'It's very traditional but not conventional.' And I thought, 'Yeah, that hits the nail on the head for me.'...This album is a lot more traditional than any other album that Shane and I have made, together or apart. And it's got a lot more of the old-timey type of sounds on it. But there's something that's not conventional - obviously it doesn't sound like an album from back then, but it draws from it."
Chambers and Nicholson's upcoming U.S. appearances include a showcase at the Americana Music Conference and Festival in Nashville on Sept. 12.
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CD reviews for Kasey Chambers
Little Bird
Even with a 14-year career, multi-platinum sales and 5 solo albums to her credit, country music fans may not be familiar with Kasey Chambers. She is considered one of the most popular country music performers...in Australia. While she hasn't had mainstream success in the U.S., many are saying that her latest album, "Little Bird," could be her breakthrough.
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Barricades & Brickwalls
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The Captain
This 24-year-old native of the Australian outback is a big star in her home country, but over here she's just an Americana artist. Aside from the obvious irony, that also means that she isn't going to achieve stardom in the USA, since she won't easily fit into the required marketing niche. That's not for any lack of quality. Chambers has a voice that's about halfway between Neko Case and Nanci Griffith. Her songs feature twangy guitar and occasionally instruments like dobro and fiddle, but »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: Music City goes (Boston) Pop(s) –
On the face of it, the idea of top shelf country songwriters coming up from Nashville to play with the Boston Pops may seem incongruous. The idea of the venerable Boston institution and fixture on the July 4 scene, playing patriotic songs doesn't have all that much to do with country.
The idea isn't without precedent, of course.... »»»
Concert Review: O'Donovan goes home –
Aiofe O'Donovan had plenty of reason to be filled with good cheer. This was a hometown gig, after all, and only three days before the release of her first full-length solo debut, "Fossils."
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