Emotive Growth
Experience the new album "GROWTH" now available on
Spotify
Growth album and song description
Growth is a universal theme.
Everything in life grows, whether you are referring to the smallest cell that builds until it is large enough to divide, or the tiny acorn that becomes the tallest oak, like the budding sprouts that bloom into flowers.
We experience it in our own biology as well.
As a mother, I have watched my children grow into the parents they are becoming, and now it is their turn to nurture their children.
Growth is also in the mind, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
It is expressed in my music as I continue to learn and create new patterns, or at least new to me in my approach to music.
Growth as an album is a reference to my own maturing as an artist, progressing since my first album (Wildflower).
I have learned so much, and yet, as the saying goes, the more you learn, the more you realize how much more there is to learn.
I hope I never stop learning. I hope I never stop growing, as I continue to observe and walk through this life.
Josephine
Josephine is a love story.
It was inspired by my trip to Mexico, and I was reminded of the Wild West and fairy tales where the prince is in search of his princess who is locked in captivity.
She has nothing but her cage, so she spends her time dancing and twirling and praying that one day her prince will find her.
Meanwhile, her knight rides through the desert, searching high and low to find her.
Their adventures and emotions and mutual dedication keeps his search going.
They are tied as one, her dancing keeps his heart going through the struggles they face, lifting each other and carrying each other through the tough times.
It’s like a marriage, really, but these two are separated from their love for each other.
When he finds her, he must battle to save her.
Fracture
Fracture was both the first and the last composition for this album, Growth.
I began composing it during a difficult time,
after Wildflower, but had not brought it to completion.
I was looking for another track, or inspiration for one, when I stumbled upon the older recording and decided to finish it.
It is meant to be disturbing. Heavy. Deep.
It was a new way of working with the keyboard to create a different dramatic effect than I typically do.
I usually try to be uplifting with my music. This was not.
Yet even in the darkness, there is a sliver of light, of hope, that if we look for it we can grab hold and hope to be lifted again.
But it was interesting to explore the darker side of my emotions and express those, validating my experience, and again, Growing from that.
Different as it is, I am still proud of this piece and to include it on my new album Growth.
Father
What can I say? The title is self explanatory.
I loved my father, he was a wonderful man.
He was always loving and compassionate, and he always treated my mother like a queen.
I think about the love they shared and I'm blessed and grateful that I was privileged to witness that as a child.
That is the first half of the song.
The impact of his passing, and all the joyful events that have happened since his passing, the life and grandchildren he never met.
That is what the second half is. The life he should still be a part of.
It’s bittersweet.
I truly miss him, and think about him every day.
I think of how my mom must feel sometimes, and can sometimes see and feel the hole she has in her heart from his absence, and I admire her continued strength and love for life and love that she continues to give her family every day.
I am blessed to have had these parents that were gifted to me.
They taught me the value of family.
Shadows of Deception
I can be very naïve sometimes, I went through a period where I realized the deception around me.
The song builds like the realization of what was happening around me.
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Then it hits.
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There is anger.
There is aggression.
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There is hurt.
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That is the song.
Love
Love can be interpreted in so many ways – we love our parents and children, we love our friends, we love our neighbour.
I am a romantic at heart, I love the little gestures that make our partners feel noticed and not so alone, that they are a team.
So, this piece is about intimate love, the romance of partners, the dance they do as they entwine together to become one.
The Edge of Freedom
The idea of flying is so often associated with the idea of freedom.
Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, arms open wide and wind in my hair, I wished I could fly.
It inspired me.
It was then, I realized that this would be the closest I would come to flying.
I was on the edge, but not there.
So close and yet so far, but for one more step forward could be the difference.
The Edge of Freedom Is that momentary instant, right before being able to fly …
Moonlit Waltz
I love waltzes. I love listening to them, I love playing them.
My Moonlit Waltz is about romance to me.
I imagine a young couple in love, elegantly dancing as they are silhouetted by a large round full moon, with a canopy of stars in the sky, a clear warm summer night … maybe on the beach with the light glistening around their bare feet on the sand, the water still and casting a perfect mirror image of the sky.
Did I say I love romance …?
Hahaha!
Rosalie's Melody
When my oldest son told me his partner was going to have a baby — his first — I was overjoyed and inspired to write a lullaby for all of my grandchildren.
Although it carries her name, this piece was truly written for all of them, and for all families who welcome new life into the world — even for adults who are still children at heart.
It represents the next generation of Growth, and stands in contrast to Father, which reflects on my own father’s passing and the life that has continued since then — the moments he has missed.
This lullaby became the final piece of the puzzle — the one that completed my album Growth.
Having worked with children for many years, I’ve always loved their natural curiosity and wonder.
Now, I get to witness that same spark again through my granddaughter, watching her personality unfold from the very beginning.
Perfect Day
What is a perfect day?
I’m a nature girl, so, for me, a perfect day would include time outside, paddling down the river or sitting by a campfire. It would include family, friends and loved ones.
Sharing good food.
Watching wild animals.
Dancing.
Loving.
Joy.
It would be a perfect day!
And that is what I tried to express
