New Album In Progress -Greatness

Guess what… I am in the midst of releasing ANOTHER EP. This will be my fourth EP. I’m starting to get quite a bit of experience with the creative process that goes into making an album. I’ve written about my discoveries from my past album on this blog: http://amandaholmes.com/blog/?p=143

But our motto for THIS album:

“Its good… But let’s make it great.”

Kevin Rivers produced my last album, and words cannot describe how fantastic he was… So we’re working together, again Thats why I say “OUR” motto. Because really, this album has become a team effort. The best team you can have is people around you that push you to be better, and make you rise to their expectations.

We’ve spent the last three weeks picking the songs, producing the sound/vibe/feel for every song, and then orchestrating all the parts for every song, and we don’t stop working on it until its really absolutely the best it can be… What a feeling. To work on something relentlessly until you feel it can’t be any better. And when I say the best it can be, truly great, I mean the kind of great where you hear it and it makes you giddy inside because you think you’ve just created something genuinely extraordinary. The kind of feeling where you can’t stop smiling because you know that its just SOOO COOL. Thats how I feel… About EVERY SONG.

Don’t get me wrong, it took some dedicated hard work. We start at 9am, and end around 12 or 1am. Thats 15 to 16 hour days, with a few meal breaks here and there. And there have been times where we’ve wanted to chop off each other’s heads saying, “What do you mean its not good enough???” 

But in the end, I am feeling more prepared than I ever have. Every song has its own distinct sound, and every song is different. Its been a real character builder working on this album. There are two songs particularly that are seriously cool. We both stepped completely out of our comfort zones and made something that sounded cool, forgetting for a second that everything has to be “commercially viable” or like everyone else. I admit, I was afraid to make that jump, but in the end, I think its going to be worth it.

I’ll give you an example. One of the songs is called, “Putty” this song has been a favorite among my male fans because its really more rock oriented. Its more gritty, and higher energy than my usual songwriting. Well Kevin and I sat down with it, I told him I wanted something like Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles, and all of a sudden, Kevin arranged this song into something brilliant. Now, the whole song is focused around a killer string section. It borderlines a classical genre more than rock or pop. Its orchestral with many intricacies and parts that really mimic the vocal in a sweet syncopated way. But still with a distorted guitar, and drum accents… Its… GREAT. Giddy in my chair because I can’t believe it turned out that awesome, GREAT. Every verse, every chorus, we slave labored over for hours to make sure it had those moments where you just love it.

So thats what I’m doing right now. Every spare minute, second, hour, I am working on the new album with Kevin Rivers. I must also mention that three of the five songs on the album I co-wrote with Brittany Crawshaw. A huge majority of the reason why this album is shaping up to be something great is because Brittany pushes boundaries. She writes the kind of lyrics that will be in history books some day, lyrics that leave you thinking, layered with imagery and wisdom beyond her years… And her musical sensibilities are naturally exquisite. She really does have a gift for creating, the kind of creating that breaks down the box that everyone else lives in, and rebuilds it into something of her own. Unique. Genius

So basically, I’m working unbelievably hard, I’m battling for greatness (with every inch of muscles and energy I have), and I’m blessed to be surrounded by not only geniuses, but people I love, respect, look up to, and challenge me to be bold. What could be better? (I’ll give you the answer to that question, and that would be… Nothing. Nothing is better than this feeling.) So I leave you with this message, strive to be greater, and if you can’t do it yourself, find someone that challenges you and do it together.

love,

Amanda

P.S. Album will be released physically on April 9th at USC’s Ground Zero. Be there