Here In California-
After The Flood-
Fear of Falling
And Here in California and After The Flood are available digitally from
iTunes:
Natalie D-Napoleon - Leaving Me Dry
Imagine if contemporary music was viewed more as a cultural resource than a business. That's how it is in Natalie D-Napoleon's home state of Western Australia.
When Natalie wanted to record her debut album, rather than knocking on doors of record companies, she turned to the Western Australia Department of Culture and Arts. The government doesn't hand out cash to just anyone mind you. There was a rigorous vetting process that involved a body of her established peers assessing both the project and her accomplishments to date.
Having already recorded three EPs certainly helped her cause. As did previously sharing the stage with a diverse selection of roots-based colleagues the likes of John Butler, Victoria Williams, Mark Olson and Todd Snider. But, more over, it was the project itself that won them over – to the tune of $10,000. And with that, Leaving Me Dry became a reality.
Having played in both her native Australia and adopted homeland of America as a solo artist since 2007, D-Napoleon felt the musical unions she had forged in California would serve her well in the recording of her debut solo album.
Recorded in Santa Barbara's famed Sound Design Studios, the location that has given rise to recordings by Beck, Radiohead and the last two Depeche Mode albums, the album's production was helmed by David Piltch. Having worked closely with the likes of kd lang, Madeleine Peyroux and Bonnie Raitt, Piltch was not only well-tuned to D-Napoleon's musical yearning, but quickly got to the heart of its message.
A cast of musicians was assembled, the pedigree of which equalled their talents. With Piltch on bass, Linda Ronstadt's longtime sideman, Kenny Edwards, contributed guitars and mandolin. The album was to be Edwards's last recorded statement prior to his untimely passing in 2010.
Aaron Sterling (Fiona Apple/John Mayer) handled drums and percussion while Dan Phillips (Glen Phillips) played piano, Hammond B3 and sung. Melanie Robinson (Tim Rogers/Gurramul) contributed cello, Phil Parlapiano (Grant Lee Buffalo/Lucinda Williams) accordion and banjo, Greg Leisz (Wilco/Sheryl Crow) pedal steel and folk icon Victoria Williams stopped by to play banjo and add backing vocals.
From the rollicking electric guitar of Kenny Edwards on the spritely "With the Speed of Love," through to Victoria Williams's bounding banjo and backing vocals on "The Well Song," Dan Phillips plaintive piano and Melanie Robinson's haunting cello on "Leave a Light On," to Greg Leisz's melancholic pedal steel on "The Birds and the Trees," the roots-infused orchestration on Leaving Me Dry poignantly underpins D-Napoleon's emotive vocal yearning as she serenades about love lost, love found and the long roads traveled to find redemption.
Opportunities like those that heralded the production of Leaving Me Dry don't come along very often. Neither does an album like this.
Leaving Me Dry will be released on July 2nd, 2012 through Household Ink Records.
h o u s e h o l d i n k r e c o r d s
P.O. Box 2093 Santa Barbara CA 93120 info@householdink.com
Natalie performing "How Seamless (Seemed Love)" on the November 7th edition of Santa Barbara Songwriter Television
What Other Folks Have Said About Natalie D-Napoleon's Music:
"D-Napoleon returns with a stronger voice on Here In California"
X-Press Magazine (Perth)
"Here In California opens the door to a very personal musical world. And while there might be an ocean between the two sides of D-Napoleon's world, here they are beautifully and coherently united."
FasterLouder.com.au
"Natalie's acoustic take on these stories is at times haunting; her voice drips with country yearnings and has a unique appealing twang and an honesty so inherent in true country music."
MediaSearch.com.au
On Natalie's cover of Paul Kelly's 'To Her Door' - "Humble enough not to imitate, she adds her own flavour to the well loved classic."
thedwarf.com.au
"As the evening drew to a close Leonard Cohen collaborator and Santa-Barbara based singer/songwriter Julie Christensen lent some countrified harmonies to the chorus of 'After the Flood', fittingly titled, for now the floodgates of D-Napoleon's enormous talent have been opened on either side of the Pacific, we can hope to hear a lot more from her on this end."
The Santa Barbara Independent (USA)
"above all it's the soaring vocals of Natalie echoing a raw sincerity that makes you stop and really listen."
Pelican Magazine (Australia)
'After the Flood' is a beautifully beguiling solo debut from Natalie D-Napoleon, who has directly changed the face of country music. With a mix of passionate lyrics, delivered with an enchanting voice that makes this EP a small token of what this artist can do and which we hope to have more of in the future."
Perth Sounds (Australia)
"D-Napoleon's songs of love and longing, sung with an endearing country twang and laced with an Australian accent, trace a raw yet joyous path through human relationships.
The Santa Barbara Indepdendent (USA)
