Anniversary

Description

Award-winning Toronto singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Abigail Lapell is back with "Anniversary," an evocative collection of original love songs. Produced with Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers, the album was recorded at the 200-year-old St Mark's Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Dekker helped shape the haunting and resonant sound of the sessions and also lent his voice to a few enchanting duets. Lapell's skillful lyrics grapple with the tropes of love songs, wrestling with the finitude of love and the irony of how codependence and nostalgia are revered in popular music. A ghost story is woven throughout the album: waltzing in the dusty country bars of "Blue Blaze," buried in the superstitious lyrical vein of "Rattlesnake," and audible in a whistling organ as it stops at the end of "Footsteps." Yet, "Anniversary" emerges as a heartfelt celebration of commitment. Earworms like "Anniversary Song" and "Someone Like You" feature intricate harmonies, while "Stars," more intimate, asserts that there is nowhere the speaker would rather be than with the one she loves. Dekker and Lapell have assembled a stellar cast of musicians to support Lapell's powerful voice, her piano, harmonica, and fingerstyle guitar. The core group includes Dan Fortin on bass, Jake Oelrichs on drums, and Tania Gill on piano, harpsichord, and church organ. The sensitive orchestral arrangements of the ensemble are complemented by Rebecca Hennessy (trumpet), Rachael Cardiello (alto), Michael Davidson (marimba and vibraphone), and Joe Lapinsky (pedal steel), who also designed and mixed the record. Abigail Lapell has won three Canadian Folk Music Awards, reached the top spot on Canadian folk radio, and achieved a staggering 40 million+ streams on digital services. She has toured extensively across Canada and the United States and will be on an international tour (UK, EU, Australia, and more) in 2024. "Anniversary" will be released on May 10, 2024, on Outside Music.