LET IN THE LIGHT (vinyl)

Description

"Shannon Wright continues to deliver albums of rarely disputed quality. Almost untouchable." Noise "The intact grace, always raw, on piano or guitar" Les Inrocks Few rock artists cross the decades while preserving the energy, urgency, and passion of their beginnings. While some remain anchored in their comfort zone, others navigate by sight, courageously, according to sudden desires and encounters, in a way bearing the burden of their devotion to music itself. Like American Shannon Wright, who for a little over 15 years has been releasing magnificent, free-spirited albums with an open heart, some of which have become classics. Take for example Over The Sun (2004, produced by Steve Albini - they remained close), the aptly named Let in the Light (2007), or more recently In Film Sound (2013), a rock storm recorded live in Louisville (USA) with the solid friends from the band Shipping News. A new direction for Division. At its origin was a crush, that of French musician Katia Labèque (world-renowned pianist, with her sister Marielle), who discovered Shannon Wright during a concert. The most beautiful she had seen in many years, in her words. The meeting and the compliments of that evening did not go unanswered, since she invited the American to come record in her studio in Rome. Shannon Wright took advantage of an Italian tour to go there, uncertain of any result. In the end, she wrote three songs there in two days, strongly inspired by the atmosphere of the studio and its superb pianos. The Division adventure begins. Several months of intense work followed with musician / producer / sound engineer David Chalmin, between Rome and Paris... also remotely from the United States, in order to reproduce as faithfully as possible the new sounds that haunt the mind of the Atlanta songwriter. Shannon Wright writes, composes, and plays almost all the parts herself (including some drums, others are performed by the excellent drummer Raphaël Séguinier), with the talent and singularity that have made her international reputation. If the title track "Division" gives voice to the second half of Shannon Wright, her faithful Jazzmaster, this new album is mainly built around keyboards (pianos, organs, Wurlitzer, electronic keyboards). From the defiant "The Thirst" ("a fool, a con, a fiend, you fell into a fool") to the more enigmatic "Lighthouse (Drag us in)", via the rollercoaster ride of the highly epic "Soft Noise": Shannon Wright, served by a subtle combination of acoustic and electronic arrangements (new for her), delivers an album of rare depth, illuminated from start to finish by a voice so moving and extraordinary. An album without a label; no futuristic pretension, nor yet another boring revival. Simply a great album released in 2017, personal and moving, unlike any other, and one we will listen to for a long time to do ourselves good.