LOVE UNPLUGGED- recording notes 1


Woa, I cannot tell you enough, this new album has been a blast to record. It’s not finished yet, I got some vocal fixing and additions and mixing to do, but the basic tracks are all there, on all of those 18 new songs. I can’t wait to tell you about each and every song, the stories and people behind them, the BRAVE NEW beginnings and all. It’s been the start of a new era for me. But I’m holding back, so I won’t spoil things for later, when I get a better look at it, within and without. And it’s gonna take a little while anyway, till this album is ready and released. But here are some of my initial recording notes.

I haven’t slept for a few days. It’s been sucking my life, but in a real good way. The musicians on it, Assaf, Assa, AA Cool and Daniel have done an amazing job. The entire album feels more relaxed than ever before (Even Eldad, my man on THE MOVE, said that). The recording process was more relaxed than anything I had done before. The Move sprang out of me with a lot of battles and tribulations, but this one has sort of taken its natural time to happen. I mean, the musicians on it have been playing those songs with me on concerts for over a year, and the songs have penetrated their basic musical instincts. By the time we came to record them, it felt like second nature to us all. Assaf pushed me to do a live session, almost against my will, and so we did, a few months ago, at the ZAZA studios. I have to admit, I had my qualms about it all. I guess I was not in a great emotional shape those days, and there was too much sadness around. But I am so grateful for that session, so glad to have let Assaf pull me into it all. It was an intensive session of a few hours, piano, trombone, drums and guitars. I hurt my finger badly at one point, and had to play half that album with 9 fingers. I ended up at the emergency room, with excruciating pain, my finger palpitating like it had a heart of its own. It was a huge, pressing, painful call for me to take a break. I couldn’t even listen to the recording for a few months. I had to get away from it, and luckily, I had to deal with the promotion of THE MOVE, and I invested my soul in concerts.

Interestingly, now that I think of it, it gave me sometime to adjust Eran into my life. And to weave initial dreams about future productions.

A few months away from that initial live session, everything sounded so much better. My finger totally healed. I got some brand new cells and tissues on that finger, in addition to its independent heart, and I think it plays way better now. The piano actually sounded delicious on that recording. It’s the first album I play a real grand piano, and I love it. Nothing beats real good grand pianos. I guess I’m a piano girl after all.

Then came Daniel, the bass player. He was not as familiar with the material as the rest of us, but dived in pretty gracefully and humbly, and a few weeks ago he did the whole 18 of them new song, all in but a few hours. PERFECT sound.

Anyway, feeling so much better about these songs and recordings, Assa and I went back to the studio to add some guitars. Man, the man is a G. I mean, he can be weird sometimes, but he’s got soul there, and buckets of talent simmering throughout his lean and long body and fingers. He’s also so much fun to work with. Well, they were all fun to work with. I really had a blast with those guys. It was the first recording I never even freaked once. Not even when I hurt my finger.

Btw, Assa quit drinking, and I lost a party partner. Although I think that Assaf got a bit more into it recently.

Oh, I can’t wait for the album to be completed, mixeded and all. But I still have A LOT of work ahead of me. VOCALS are gonna be the toughest part.

Back to site: hadaralevin.com


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