ZOE BENTLEY "STRIDE"
At the tender age of 15, Zoë Bentley left her hometown of Belleville, ON to find her way in the world. Living on the streets in nearby Cambridge with nothing but an old knapsack and acoustic guitar, a high-school guidance counsellor found her a place to stay and even bought her new guitar strings. This was Zoë's great awakening, and writing and performing music quickly became her passion.
Since beginning her journey as an artist, Zoë has come to explore new avenues, branching out from her pop roots to incorporate rock, folk, roots, R&B and gospel influences into her work. Each successive songwriting experience has found her experimenting with fresh sounds and themes, culminating in an amazingly versatile debut album. STRIDE showcases this 22 year old singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalists wide spectrum of skills as an artist, from heart-tugging vocal purity to introspective prose writing.
Through the creation of her debut CD, her work has soared to new heights, testifying to the personal and artistic growth of Canada's most promising and engaging young talent. Cool and introspective yet uplifting, Zoës album has fittingly been named STRIDE as a reflection of her battle to survive by taking life one step at a time. Zoë wrote the majority of the material, including the first single and title track Stride.
Musical contributions are generously provided by Denton Whited and Marc Rogers (The Philosopher Kings rhythm section), Canadian Brass, Tim Bovaconti (Ron Sexsmith), Adrian Eccleston (Nelly Furtado), the Madawaska String Quartet, producer Trey Mills (X-Quisite / Canadian Brass), and multiple Grammy winning Mix Engineer Ken Lewis (Kanye West, Usher, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Beastie Boys).
Zoës vocal artistry is further proved by the 2005 seasonal hit Very Merry Christmas. Accompanied by the Grammy-nominated Canadian Brass, it earned a top "Pick" in Canadian Music Network and witnessed a steady climb to number 20 AC with lots of love from major stations such as CHFI and EZ Rock. Zoë was also featured on GQ's chart topping Christmas Drummer Boy (no. 29) and co-wrote the Juno nominated CHR hit Bad Girl for X-Quisite. Recently, Zoë was named one of 2005's best performances by Calgary's Wired (CityTV) and in the Spring of 2006, Zoë won 1st prize as singer/songwriter from IndieTunes.com, the web's best resource to discover new talent, was twice a featured Sonicbids artist, and was hand-picked as the face of Gibson's new Goddess guitar.
Recalling the vocal stylings of Joss Stone and Sheryl Crow, the zest of Aerosmith and Rob Thomas, Zoë sings with the grace of Mariah Carey and the soul of Patsy Cline, and her writing reflects the echoes of a soul far beyond her years. STRIDE is boldly and refreshingly authentic, a timeless stand-out, the perfect answer to an American/Canadian Idol-weary world. Zoë Bentley, Canada's own.
