Well,
it was bound to happen sooner or later – the final edition of “Meet the
Players!”
In
this installment, we feature Lorraine Ferro on background vocals, violist Kris
Wilkinson, and artist Marina Drasnin.
One
of the most beautiful aspects of making this record has been the cross section
of people who are gracing it. It is an amalgam of those I adore and have worked
with for years, people I adore and have never worked with before, and complete
strangers whom I now, come on, sing it with me – adore.
And
so it is fitting in this, my final installment of “Meet the Players,” that it
encompasses just that cross section of all three.
Lorraine
Ferro has been one of my favorite voices on the planet since I met her and we
became friends in our twenties. For years, she was the voice on every demo I
recorded, and the one I heard in my head whenever I wrote a new song. So to
have her singing with me as I embrace my own voice is a gift beyond that which
I can express.
You
might best know her as the writer of the #1 song “Stand,” or from the TV show
The Voice, or myriad live shows and TV jingles. In the past few years, we’ve
finally had the chance to share the stage on many occasions, and all I can say
is it is a heck of a lot of fun and I am still in awe. So thank you, Lorraine
for adding your voice, your magic, and your soul to this project!
Kris
Wilkinson is one of the people I’ve never met, but someone who was definitely
meant to be a part of this. She has recorded and performed with too long a list
to write in its entirety, but here are just a few of them – Jason Mraz, Elton
John, Train, Carrie Underwood, Michael Buble, and the list goes on and on with
just about anyone you could name in the music business that’s huge.
When
I started this project, it was my intention that everyone who was on it would
bring their heart and not just their talent. When you are asking a complete
stranger, there’s no way to actually know that until they’ve played. But that
has been the beauty of trusting this process and going with what felt right. I
am so grateful to have crossed paths with Kris and that she gave the same artistry,
energy, and beauty to this project as she has for all those people I listed
above. What a validating gift! Thank you so much, Kris!
Last,
but not least, is another kind of crazy story. I am Facebook friends with a
multi-talented figure skating champion named Tai Babilonia. Truth be told, I
did not hang pictures of musicians on my walls as a kid. But I did have a bevy of
athletes I admired, and among them were my favorite pairs skaters of all time –
Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner.
Social
media is a funny thing. For all of its deficits, it also allows for connection
between people whose paths would not have crossed otherwise. And such was the
case for me in this instance.
So
I am Facebook friends with Tai, and somewhere in my FB feed was a piece of art
that one of her friends posted on her wall. Well, I fell in love with it, in
fact, so much so that I wanted it on my album artwork.
So
I, being the “nothing ventured, nothing gained” type of person, reached out and
asked this completed stranger, who is an honest-to-goodness artist, if I could
please use her artwork on my album. Well, needless to say, Marina Drasnin and
her beautiful work are now a part of this project as well. And I have met
another beautiful soul…thanks to Tai Babilonia, a world champion figure skater.
How’s
that for the intricate tapestry of life?!!!! So many thanks and hugs to Marina
and to Tai!
So
here’s the wrap-up of musicians on the project:
Me
– Ilene Angel J
Tanya
Leah
Mark
Prentice
Matthew
Bubel
Caitlin
Evanson
Kris
Wilkinson
Everett
Bradley
Lorraine
Ferro
BethAnne
Clayton
…and
special guest Kenny Loggins!!!!
We
are up to mixing and mastering next!!!
Thank
you for hanging in there with me and for believing in this work and making it
possible. I love and appreciate you all beyond words!
Ilene
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