Balsamo Deighton - Unfolding (2016)

Singer/Songwriter duo BALSAMO DEIGHTON, consisting of Steve Balsamo and Rosalie Deighton, are set to release their beautiful debut album “Unfolding“. After meeting 10 years ago at Martin Terefe‘s London recording studio - where they were working on their respective debut solo albums - they bonded over a love of 70s singer/songwriters, country music and cake and vowed to record together as they felt their voices blend together and give what Emmylou Harris calls ‘the rub’ - two harmonies melting into one.

Several times around the world in various musical guises, their paths crossed again when Rosalie – who grew up in the successful folk band The Deighton Family and is considered one of Britain’s finest female vocalists - supported Steve‘s highly regarded band The Storys. Having returned from touring with the likes of Elton John, Santana, Celine Dion and Joe Cocker, The Storys asked Rosalie to collaborate with them. When The Storys decided to call it a day, Steve and Rosalie took it as a sign that the time was right to make some music together – BALSAMO DEIGHTON was born. The duo are two close friends, simply making music that they both love.

They instinctively knew what harmonies to sing, “Singing with Steve takes me to a happy place where even the best wine in the world can’t take me!” jokes Rosalie. “I love Rosalie’s ethereal voice and knew that although we are very different singers something magical was happening” says Steve.
The result of Steve’s and Rosalie’s collaborating creativity is a truly wonderful debut, a collection of ‘grown up songs on the human condition’, as they’d say. Influenced by a wealth of classic writers and musicians - from Gram Parsons, Crowded House and Steve Earle to Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - BALSAMO DEIGHTON’s songs pretty much nod and wink to them all.

Lyrically, they take a highly personal approach to their writing, which mainly dwells on the darker side of romantic encounters. They also touch upon poignant experiences such as Steve receiving a letter from the bereaved parent of a British soldier lost in Afghanistan. Love is represented, of course: while atmospheric love song “Long Way Round” was written after Rosalie discovered an affair, country style ballad “Run Back To Your Life” tells a tale of falling in love with the right person at the wrong time. The up-tempo tune “Drive On” was inspired by night time drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, a song about the fragility of love and the gamble we take when the odds seem stacked against it.
Meanwhile, “The Ghost Of Me And You” is about two lovers trapped in a relationship that’s dead and, if you listen closely, the voice of a ghost (recorded by Steve at a paranormal investigation) can be heard whispering ‘I kissed her’. “The Dream Song” was inspired by a conversation Steve had with Vicky Lord, widow of the late Jon Lord. They both talked about having met Jon in dreams and how, as in life, he reassured them to keep keeping the dream alive. 12 exciting & fresh songs, somewhere between Singer/Songwriter, Americana and Folk Pop, “Unfolding” has it all.