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"From a Distance"- At the Principle Gallery
I got ceilings right up in the sky
all my ceilings give you room to fly
feel like a castle when you step inside
feel like a castle where a queen reside
I've got all these spaces above my head
but no space at all in my heart for your loneliness
--Miriam Jones, Room In My House
Went on YouTube early this morning to search for a Sunday Morning Music selection and there was a surprise in my feed. It was a new video of singer/songwriter Miriam Jones unboxing vinyl copies of her new album, Reach For the Morning, which features the painting at the top on its cover. I think I was as eager as Miriam to see it.
Though I don't want to put labels on her or make comparisons, Miriam's music is what I guess would be considered Americana. She established herself while she was based in England over the past decade or so before moving to Vancouver just a few years ago.
When Miriam and her manager approached me last summer to ask for permission to use the image for the album cover, I went online to find her music. I very much liked what I found. Strong voice to go along with strong writing and playing and a knack for finding the hook in her songs. I found myself holding onto the refrains from several of her earlier songs for a long time, often humming them while I worked.
Good stuff.
But her new album, Reach For the Morning, which is being released on June 17, feels like a step up. I was able to get a preview of the album awhile back and was thrilled. Everything is heightened. Her voice sounds great and her songwriting is on mark. Great production and performance across the album.
She also has several songs from other artists that she covers masterfully. For me, the sign of a great cover is shaping a song it in a way that respects the meaning and composition while still making it into something that has a unique quality. Miriam succeeds on all counts.
I am really pleased to have my work on Reach For the Morning ( great title which I will no doubt borrow at some future point) and wish her much success with it. I will be playing more of her work from the album after its release date but for today here is her first release from it, Room In My House.
As I said, just good stuff.
I've also included the new video of Miriam unboxing the album to give you an idea of how it looks as well as the song Warning from her last album, Between Green and Gone. Warning is one of the songs that sticks with me.
Please give a listen and keep an eye and an ear out for Miriam's upcoming album.
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