Elisa (Italien): Steppin' On Water
Steppin' On Water
CD
CD (Compact Disc)
Herkömmliche CD, die mit allen CD-Playern und Computerlaufwerken, aber auch mit den meisten SACD- oder Multiplayern abspielbar ist.
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- Label:
- Decca, 2012
- UPC/EAN:
- 0602527894478
- Erscheinungstermin:
- 13.3.2012
With the release of her seventh studio album, multiplatinum singer-songwriter Elisa Toffoli is poised to win over American audiences with the passionate, piano-driven modern pop that has long enchanted fans in her homeland of Italy. Due out February 21, Steppin’ On Water (Decca) elegantly showcases the multi-instrumentalist’s tender yet formidable voice and penchant for quietly powerful melodies. Breezy and bold in equal measure, the record makes for a masterful follow-up to 2009’s Heart (the triple-platinum release featuring a breathtaking duet with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons) and 2008’s Dancing (a chart-topping best-of collection whose title track won Elisa early acclaim in the U. S. after its appearance on “So You Think You Can Dance?”).
In assembling Steppin’ On Water, Elisa drew largely from Ivy (a collection of folk-tinged songs released in Italy in November 2010). The 11-track album also includes two songs plucked from the soundtrack of Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (a new film helmed by Italian director from Roberto Faenza and starring Marcia Gay Harden, Ellen Burstyn, Lucy Liu, Peter Gallagher, and Aubrey Plaza). Featuring music by famed Italian composer Andrea Guerra and lyrics by Michele Von Büren, “Love Is Requited” and “Apologize” kick off Steppin’ On Water and set the tone for the rest of the beautifully bittersweet record. “Even though I didn’t write the songs for the movie, they were very much in the same vein as the songs I was working on at the time, which was a magical coincidence,” says Elisa. “It was like pulling on a dress that was made just for me.”
Indeed, the pairing of “Love Is Requited” (a dreamy, acoustic-guitar-kissed meditation on renewing one’s faith in love) and “Apologize” (a jaunty, jazzy number with a 1930s feel) neatly embodies Steppin’ On Water’s melting together of wistful and whimsical. “When I was putting this record together, I chose the songs that were more emotional and very personal,” says Elisa. “At the same time, the album has a sort of purity and lightness of mood.” The birth of her first child (Emma Cecile) in 2009 was essential to helping Elisa infuse her songs with a soulful simplicity, she points out. “There’s a certain peace that comes from being in the presence of a young soul, a person for whom everything is so mysterious and new,” says Elisa, whose husband Andrea Rigonat serves as guitarist, drummer, and arranger for several tracks on Steppin’ On Water. “There’s also some mysticism to the whole experience of being a mother, and I think that went into the record as well.”
Produced by Elisa herself, Steppin’ On Water shines sunny and bright on tracks like “Nostalgia” (a perfect pop gem that opens with a cascade of guitars, its sweetly affirming chorus promising that “life is a song”) and “So Much of Me” (a shimmering, slow-building piano ballad originally written by Italian pop-rock phenom Luciano Ligabue and translated into English by von Büren). “I’m so happy with the way ‘So Much of Me’ turned out,” Elisa notes. “Luciano is this huge, amazing rock star, and I love the way Michele and I took the song down to Earth and made it super-simple.” Equally dazzling is the album-closing update of “Dancing,” a stripped-down live version playfully accented by finger-snapping and the twinkle of glockenspiel.
Elsewhere on Steppin’ On Water, Elisa’s offerings take on a more melancholy mood “Lullaby,” for instance achieves a haunting beauty thanks to its hushed vocals and fluttering strings, while Elisa’s potent voice often sounds choked-up and fragile on “Forgiveness” (a gently soaring track featuring the Italian children’s choir Piccolo Coro Artemìa di Torviscosa). The choir also lends its angelic aura to the soothing “One Step Away” and to “Fresh Air,” a delicate yet deeply moving number with the unnerving refrain of “Tell me what is this, is it an earthquake?” And before slipping into the carefree spirit of “Dancing,” Elisa serves up a rendition of Queens of the Stone Age’s “I Never Came” that’s stark and strikingly tender.
Not only a clever cover choice for such a sublimely smooth record, Elisa’s graceful take on Queens of the Stone Age’s lead-heavy stoner rock illuminates the impressive scope of artists that have influenced her songwriting. “When I first started making music, I was really inspired by the Beatles, Otis Redding, and Aretha Franklin,” says Elisa, who released her first record (Pipes & Flowers, now double platinum) at age 20. Still maintaining those classic sensibilities, Elisa adds that bands and musicians as eclectic as Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth, Bjork, and the Chemical Brothers have all helped shape her craft and performance over the years.
Discovered by music producer Caterina Caselli at age 16, Elisa has electrified the Italian music scene since the 1997 release of Pipes & Flowers (winner of Italy’s prestigious “Premio Tenco,” a Best Record of the Year award selected by critics). After releasing the electronica-inflected Asile’s World in 2000 and “Luce (Tramonti a Nord Est)” (her first single in her native language) the following year, Elisa went on to nab the Best Italian Act honor at the MTV European Music Awards. Her third album (2000’s Then Comes the Sun) was released in more than 20 countries across the globe, readying international audiences for Elisa’s appearance at the 2002 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Salt Lake City.
Next came 2003’s Lotus and 2004’s Pearl Days, for which Elisa teamed up with producer Glen Ballard (renowned for his work with Alanis Morissette, Christina Aguilera, and Katy Perry) on several tracks. Pearl Days also featured guest appearances by Matt Chamberlain (a one-time Pearl Jam drummer who has played for David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, and Stevie Nicks) and Tim Pierce (a guitarist who has recorded with the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Don Henley). That alliance with American music-scene heavyweights further propelled Elisa toward stateside stardom, setting the stage for her “So You Think You Can Dance?”-prompted breakthrough. After “Dancing” (the fourth single from Then Comes the Sun) appeared on a 2007 episode of the dance competition and reality show, the track entered the iTunes top 20 singles chart in the U. S. and Canada. The following year saw Elisa’s first North American tour, a 16-city jaunt in support of Dancing (the best-of collection that ranked number five in Billboard’s poll for Best Album of 2008).
On the heels of the smash success of 2009’s Heart, Steppin’ On Water is set to continue broadening Elisa’s undeniable appeal and lure a growing body of listeners in to the lushly textured, irresistibly intimate songwriting that has become her trademark. Reflecting on the songwriting process that she’s employed throughout her ever-flourishing career, Elisa expresses a certain wonder at the magic of making songs. “It’s always a little miracle for me, when I have this an idea for something beautiful and I work at it and suddenly there’s something there that didn’t exist before,” she says. “I almost don’t completely understand how it happens. I just know that I love music and I love singing and—with this album—my approach is the same as when I first started singing. It’s to say something I can’t say in any other way, and to celebrate life.”
(deccarecords. com)
In assembling Steppin’ On Water, Elisa drew largely from Ivy (a collection of folk-tinged songs released in Italy in November 2010). The 11-track album also includes two songs plucked from the soundtrack of Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (a new film helmed by Italian director from Roberto Faenza and starring Marcia Gay Harden, Ellen Burstyn, Lucy Liu, Peter Gallagher, and Aubrey Plaza). Featuring music by famed Italian composer Andrea Guerra and lyrics by Michele Von Büren, “Love Is Requited” and “Apologize” kick off Steppin’ On Water and set the tone for the rest of the beautifully bittersweet record. “Even though I didn’t write the songs for the movie, they were very much in the same vein as the songs I was working on at the time, which was a magical coincidence,” says Elisa. “It was like pulling on a dress that was made just for me.”
Indeed, the pairing of “Love Is Requited” (a dreamy, acoustic-guitar-kissed meditation on renewing one’s faith in love) and “Apologize” (a jaunty, jazzy number with a 1930s feel) neatly embodies Steppin’ On Water’s melting together of wistful and whimsical. “When I was putting this record together, I chose the songs that were more emotional and very personal,” says Elisa. “At the same time, the album has a sort of purity and lightness of mood.” The birth of her first child (Emma Cecile) in 2009 was essential to helping Elisa infuse her songs with a soulful simplicity, she points out. “There’s a certain peace that comes from being in the presence of a young soul, a person for whom everything is so mysterious and new,” says Elisa, whose husband Andrea Rigonat serves as guitarist, drummer, and arranger for several tracks on Steppin’ On Water. “There’s also some mysticism to the whole experience of being a mother, and I think that went into the record as well.”
Produced by Elisa herself, Steppin’ On Water shines sunny and bright on tracks like “Nostalgia” (a perfect pop gem that opens with a cascade of guitars, its sweetly affirming chorus promising that “life is a song”) and “So Much of Me” (a shimmering, slow-building piano ballad originally written by Italian pop-rock phenom Luciano Ligabue and translated into English by von Büren). “I’m so happy with the way ‘So Much of Me’ turned out,” Elisa notes. “Luciano is this huge, amazing rock star, and I love the way Michele and I took the song down to Earth and made it super-simple.” Equally dazzling is the album-closing update of “Dancing,” a stripped-down live version playfully accented by finger-snapping and the twinkle of glockenspiel.
Elsewhere on Steppin’ On Water, Elisa’s offerings take on a more melancholy mood “Lullaby,” for instance achieves a haunting beauty thanks to its hushed vocals and fluttering strings, while Elisa’s potent voice often sounds choked-up and fragile on “Forgiveness” (a gently soaring track featuring the Italian children’s choir Piccolo Coro Artemìa di Torviscosa). The choir also lends its angelic aura to the soothing “One Step Away” and to “Fresh Air,” a delicate yet deeply moving number with the unnerving refrain of “Tell me what is this, is it an earthquake?” And before slipping into the carefree spirit of “Dancing,” Elisa serves up a rendition of Queens of the Stone Age’s “I Never Came” that’s stark and strikingly tender.
Not only a clever cover choice for such a sublimely smooth record, Elisa’s graceful take on Queens of the Stone Age’s lead-heavy stoner rock illuminates the impressive scope of artists that have influenced her songwriting. “When I first started making music, I was really inspired by the Beatles, Otis Redding, and Aretha Franklin,” says Elisa, who released her first record (Pipes & Flowers, now double platinum) at age 20. Still maintaining those classic sensibilities, Elisa adds that bands and musicians as eclectic as Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth, Bjork, and the Chemical Brothers have all helped shape her craft and performance over the years.
Discovered by music producer Caterina Caselli at age 16, Elisa has electrified the Italian music scene since the 1997 release of Pipes & Flowers (winner of Italy’s prestigious “Premio Tenco,” a Best Record of the Year award selected by critics). After releasing the electronica-inflected Asile’s World in 2000 and “Luce (Tramonti a Nord Est)” (her first single in her native language) the following year, Elisa went on to nab the Best Italian Act honor at the MTV European Music Awards. Her third album (2000’s Then Comes the Sun) was released in more than 20 countries across the globe, readying international audiences for Elisa’s appearance at the 2002 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Salt Lake City.
Next came 2003’s Lotus and 2004’s Pearl Days, for which Elisa teamed up with producer Glen Ballard (renowned for his work with Alanis Morissette, Christina Aguilera, and Katy Perry) on several tracks. Pearl Days also featured guest appearances by Matt Chamberlain (a one-time Pearl Jam drummer who has played for David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, and Stevie Nicks) and Tim Pierce (a guitarist who has recorded with the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Don Henley). That alliance with American music-scene heavyweights further propelled Elisa toward stateside stardom, setting the stage for her “So You Think You Can Dance?”-prompted breakthrough. After “Dancing” (the fourth single from Then Comes the Sun) appeared on a 2007 episode of the dance competition and reality show, the track entered the iTunes top 20 singles chart in the U. S. and Canada. The following year saw Elisa’s first North American tour, a 16-city jaunt in support of Dancing (the best-of collection that ranked number five in Billboard’s poll for Best Album of 2008).
On the heels of the smash success of 2009’s Heart, Steppin’ On Water is set to continue broadening Elisa’s undeniable appeal and lure a growing body of listeners in to the lushly textured, irresistibly intimate songwriting that has become her trademark. Reflecting on the songwriting process that she’s employed throughout her ever-flourishing career, Elisa expresses a certain wonder at the magic of making songs. “It’s always a little miracle for me, when I have this an idea for something beautiful and I work at it and suddenly there’s something there that didn’t exist before,” she says. “I almost don’t completely understand how it happens. I just know that I love music and I love singing and—with this album—my approach is the same as when I first started singing. It’s to say something I can’t say in any other way, and to celebrate life.”
(deccarecords. com)
- Tracklisting
Disk 1 von 1 (CD)
-
1 Love is Requited
-
2 Apologize
-
3 Fresh Air
-
4 So Much of Me
-
5 Nostalgia
-
6 Lullaby
-
7 One Step Away
-
8 Forgiveness
-
9 Just As One
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10 I Never Came
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11 Dancing (Live Version)
