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as day follows night - sarah blasko

Sarah Blasko – As Day Follows Night – Track By Track

In modern pop, Sarah Blasko is a rare beast. On the one hand, she is a fiercely-independent free spirit whose haunting music critics have run out of superlatives to describe. On the other, the 33 year old Australian is a multi-platinum selling star whose mantelpiece houses an ever increasing array of awards and who performed at the closing ceremony of Sydney’s Commonwealth Games.   Here she talks through her album ‘As Day Follows Night’ track by track…

Down On Love
This was the last song I wrote for the album.  I knew that I wanted an introduction, something that really brought you into the world of As Day Follows Night, to transport you somewhere magical.  It has a kind of romantic, cinematic Henry Mancini feel that is tender and sad but full of hope.

All I Want
A Morricone inspired sound to the recording, it explores the wilderness of the heart, the inherent loneliness in us all and the search to know ourselves at all costs.

Bird On A Wire
This song is sequenced closely to All I Want to give the feeling of being in a jazz club or at a show.  The lights go down and the next number starts.  The sound and the feel of Bird On A Wire is reminiscent of a classic song like ‘Fever’. The sizzling drums and double bass are at the centre of the drama. The song wasn’t written like that, in fact it began with an intricate guitar part, but this was abandoned for the space and energy that you now hear.

Hold On My Heart
This is a letter written to the heart.  The heart is a dear friend and it needs reminding to take care of itself and to not be so open. It’s going through that tough transition from childhood innocence to adolescence.  It’s still maturing and sometimes needs a guiding hand. The old fashioned sound of the double bass and the warbling musical saw give a wise, motherly quality to the song.

We Won’t Run
This is a very simple song about accepting things and letting go.   It’s about being honest and not hiding from anything.

Is My Baby Yours?
The classical guitar parts were based on the sounds of a famous Swedish guitar player, Cornelis Vreeswijk that Björn played to me while I was in Stockholm.  The recording is reminiscent of the classic production of artists like Karen Dalton and Leonard Cohen.  A simple song about being alone in love.

Sleeper Awake
This marks the second half of the record. There are two acts.  The beginning of this second act is like the turning point, it signals a change.  Sleeper Awake is the epic track of the record and a chance for all the elements to come together.  Most instruments in the palette feature in this song and have their place. It’s supposed to be like a gospel song about realising your own strength.

No Turning Back
A stomping reminder to not look back, the choice to get up when knocked down and keep moving forward.

Lost & Defeated
The recording was inspired in part by the sounds and feel of ‘I Put A Spell On You’ by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, though it started with the piano carrying the rhythm, now you hear the banjo carry this part.

Over & Over
The recording was inspired in part by Talking Heads’ ‘Road To Nowhere’ after I’d decided to include the lyrics and melody from this song in the last verse.  It seemed to fit well with the subject of the song.  I wrote this song to encourage myself while I was writing the album. A reminder that music’s role is to move people, not about perfection. Music without feeling is dead.

I Never Knew
This song speaks for itself.  It’s about the conflict of knowing that the love you feel isn’t enough sometimes.

Night & Day
The differences in people are what brings them together, makes what they share unique but it sometimes makes things difficult.

Review

The album As Day Follows Night is a beautifully produced collection of songs from Sarah Blasko, an Australian singer songwriter who has won the hearts and awards of her home country and is looking to break into the UK/European market.

Blasko is a gifted songwriter who possesses a wonderfully unique voice with an intimate and bewitching quality that works perfectly on this eclectic mix of tracks that take the listener on a personal journey, close to the heart of the singer.

It is not an ‘instant’ album, meaning that it falls short of the classic pop album that Blasko wanted it to be, it is however an endearing album that will grow the more the music is heard.

Highlights for me are Lost & Defeated, We Won’t Run, I Never Knew and Over & Over.

If like me you had not previously herad anything by Sarah Blasko check out this rather excellent introduction;

Sarah Blasko – We Won’t Run - Live

For further information visit Sarah Blasko’s website