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When Canadian songstress Melanie Doane wrote
"Happy Homemaker" for her breakthrough album
Adam's Rib in 1998, she couldn't have known how
the song would eventually take on a whole new
meaning in her life a few years down the road.
With the birth of her first child in 2001, and a
second in 2003, the poignantly poetic lyrics
describing one woman's struggle to balance a
career and a home life became Melanie's reality
- one which would prove to be both chaotic and
tranquil, and ultimately the inspiration behind
her breathtaking new work, A Thousand Nights.
While many singers-turned-moms find themselves
so fixated in their home life that their music
becomes an extension of it, Melanie was
determined not to follow that path per say. "I
had this idea to record songs that could be the
perfect bedtime music," Melanie reflects. "Being
in "kid zone" makes you think of things like
this, but I was worried about labeling the album
as a 'lullaby' record, as I wanted it to be more
than that. In the end, I figured if I simply
recorded great music, it [the album] could be
played at bedtime for kids, or it could just be
a great album for anyone, anytime."
An accomplished multi-instrumentalist,
songwriter, and singer - Doane quickly found
herself immersed in a creative space of
interpretation, collaboration, and
self-reflection, with many days being spent
between her home and a Toronto recording studio,
where she worked with producer/brother Creighton
Doane and producer Daniel Leblanc. Tucked in a
musical hideaway on the outskirts of a bustling
metropolitan core, the trio worked away on lush
arrangements for a variety of material
(including both original tunes and covers). "The
instrumentation on this record became a huge
part of what it is," Melanie reflects. "We ended
up playing everything ourselves, with the
exception of our special guests parts." The
album features Melanie on piano, guitar, fiddle,
mandolin, bass, and of course, vocals, while the
special guests list boasts a brilliant entourage
of Canadian musicians, including Jim Cuddy, Ron
Sexsmith, and Ted Dykstra, to name a few.
The result of these efforts is A Thousand
Nights – a collection of songs that exceeds
Melanie's original intentions. It's not quite a
lullaby album, not quite a covers album, not
quite a pop album, and yet, not really a folk
album either. Nevertheless, one thing that
remains evident about A Thousand Nights
is that it is all Melanie Doane, and that means
the musical landscape is soulful, moving, and
imaginative. From the dreamlike simplicity of
Melanie's original song "Every Little Thing", to
the artful interpretations of classics like
Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" and The Everly
Brothers "Devoted To You", A Thousand Nights
plays out as a soothing homage to the classic
singer-songwriter records of the 70's, all while
maintaining an ageless appeal. It's the type of
record one can enjoy for a thousand nights - pun
intended.
The product of a musical family, Halifax-born
Doane has spent a large portion of the last ten
years on the road supporting her numerous solo
albums. Her indie release Harvest Train garnered
the attention of Sony Music Canada in the mid
90's, and shortly thereafter Melanie released
her debut LP Shakespearean Fish. While the album
received critical praise and garnered a loyal
following, it wasn't until the release of Adam's
Rib in 1998 that Melanie's music made a
mainstream impact. What followed is nothing
short of extraordinary - four top 40 singles, a
Juno Award for Best New Artist, a Canadian Radio
Award for Most Charted Rock Artist, over 200
shows with the likes of Jann Arden, Sarah
McLachlan's "Lilith Fair", and Great Big Sea,
and a Gold record award. Changing industry
conditions paired with the success of Adam's Rib
left Melanie in the position to be able to part
ways with Sony and pursue her career
independently, a move which she made whole
heartedly.
In 2001, Melanie recorded and released Melvin
Live, an album showcasing her energetic and
diverse live show. Baby number one also came
that year. In 2002, Melanie's husband,
actor/writer/director Ted Dykstra (2 Pianos, 4
Hands), formed the indie label Actorboy Records
with actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump). The label
would see the release of Melanie's album You Are
What You Love in 2003, preceded by the lead
single "Still Desire You". "Still Desire You"
marked a welcome return for Doane at Canadian
radio, spanning multiple formats and eventually
reaching the Top 5. The accompanying music video
also shot straight to #1 on MuchMoreMusic. A
national club tour quickly followed, and
succeeding singles "Wilma Or A Betty Man" and
the title track also made their way into top 20
play. The year finished off with the birth of
baby number two. Needless to say, Doane managed
to keep busy.
Since You Are What You Love, Doane has spent the
majority of her time playing the "happy
homemaker" she first sang about almost ten years
ago. Nevertheless, that has hardly has stopped
her from continuing to pursue musical ventures.
She found time to travel the U.S. for awhile
with friend Gary Sinise playing in his Lt. Dan
Band, toured Canada with Barney Bentall and the
Bluebird North tour, did some East Coast dates
with Canadian Idol alum Rex Goudie, wrote songs
for various artists and played violin on several
albums, formed a trio for fun with friends
Emilie-Claire Barlow and Kathryn Rose, had her
music featured on ABC's hit show "Brothers and
Sisters", had her music used in a new Canadian
play called "Still Desire You", and most
recently traveled the country on the CPR Holiday
train, playing 60 shows along the way and
raising money for local food banks.
Now she's ready to go back to work.
With A Thousand Nights, Doane proves that
one woman really can have it all.
A Thousand Nights hits stores and digital
outlets JULY 1, 2008. |
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