Orit Shimoni - Strange and Beautiful Things (2020)

Sometimes songs kick around on stage for a good few years before they make it on to an album. They wait until the right time and place to be recorded. Such is the case for the collection of songs in this, my tenth album. Each album I have recorded has been under what I consider extremely fortunate circumstances, in various cities that my road has brought me to, with some of the wonderful musicians who live there. Each studio has its sound, and each recording has had its parameters defined by time, budget and the musicians at hand. I have chosen, for each album, the songs that I felt would suit those parameters best, often wrote new songs for it once a sound was established, to mix in fresh, often unheard material, and each collection has represented a time and place in my touring life. To listen back, for me, is to remember the people and moments involved in the creative process that making a recording entails, as well as the many hosts and homes whose hospitality accommodated my process.

The songs on Strange and Beautiful Things were ones that, from their inception, wanted a full band sound, and Toronto was the place for that to happen. Working with Douglas September at Second Exit Studio was a privilege and pleasure thanks to Douglas’s attentive ear, well-honed engineering and mixing skills, his stylistic consultation and his steady air of calm confidence, professionalism, friendliness and generosity. The musicians I invited to participate on these recordings are all people I am lucky to call friends, each with their exquisite talent and ear.

The album took four years to complete from bed-tracks to final touches, due to the comings and goings of my tour life. And what better collection to mark and celebrate my tenth release into the musical world, to coincide with ten years of living on the road. To say I am grateful is an understatement. The determination and vision of all the musical contributors make me feel like one of the luckiest singers and songwriters on this strange and beautiful planet I call home, and which keeps inspiring me. ~ Orit