homage to the beautiful winters of Québec .....
Artist: Emilie-Claire Barlow
Album: Lumières d'hiver
Release date: November 3, 2017
Fun facts:
- This album marks my first foray into full songwriting
- Steve and I wrote an English version of the title track for a Harlequin romance movie called The Christmas Wedding Planner.
the band
Voice: Emilie-Claire Barlow
Guitar: Reg Schwager (1, 8, 12, 13 ), Jean-François Beaudet (2, 4, 6, 7)
Piano: Amanda Tosoff
Bass: Jon Maharaj
Drums: Fabio Ragnelli (2, 3, 11, 13), Creighton Doane (6, 10)
Percussion: Mélissa Lavergne
Tenor saxophone: Kelly Jefferson
Trumpet: Kevin Turcotte
Violin: François Pilon, Melanie Bélair
Viola: Bojana Milonov
Cello: Sheila Hannigan
Vocals: Kim Richardson (1, 7, 9)
Vocals: Karine Pion (1, 7, 9, 14) Vocals: Ingrid St-Pierre (1, 7, 9)
Additional keyboard, drums, guitar: Steve Webster
special guests
Ingrid St-Pierre, duet on Hey Santa (4)
Mitsou Gelinas, duet on As-tu vu le Père Noël (12)
production
Produced by Steve Webster, Emilie-Claire Barlow
Arrangements & orchestrations by Steve Webster, Emilie-Claire Barlow
Mixed by: Rob Heaney at Studio Piccolo and Empress Mobile Studio
Recorded by:
Steve Webster • Empress Mobile Studio Mark Camilleri • Imagine Sound Studio
Rob Heaney • Studios Piccolo
Creighton Doane • DoaneMusic.ca
Kelly Jefferson • Cliff Street Studio
Reg Schwager • Green Guitar Studio
Assisted by: Patrice Pruneau • Studios Piccolo
Montana Martin Iles • Empress Mobile Studio
Mastered by Andy Krehm • Silverbirch Mastering
Copyists: Steve Webster & Martin Loomer
Graphic design: Caroline Brown • Whitebear Design
Photography: Mélany Bernier Photographe
Stylist: Mélanie Brisson Hair & Makeup: Evangelia Pavlakos Post Production: Lulie Talmor
special thanks to
Simon Fauteux, Martine Lévesque, Musicaction, Christian Breton, Eric Chouinard, René Aubé, François Pilon, Jennifer Moisan
personal notes
Where do I begin?? First of all - what a cast. When I write out all of those names above, I'm so happy and grateful to have worked with every single one of them on this project. I'm feeling especially nostalgic thinking of our engineer (and dear friend) Rob Heaney, who passed away suddenly earlier this year. We miss him so much, and we feel extremely fortunate to have his influence and mastery on this recorded music.
I had released my first holiday album Winter Wonderland in 2006, and a decade later, had been thinking about following it up with another. Over the years my band and I had done a LOT of touring in Québec, and we had specifically done many of these tours during the winter. Now let me start by saying....I don't love the winter. I love heat and humidity and tropical environments. BUT - there is something SO magical about Quebec in the winter. I remember after one particularly long and harrowing December drive from Toronto to Quebec City (about 8-9 hours) - we finally pulled into town, it was already dark early, and as we rounded a corner into the entrance to the old town - we saw the beautiful Palais Montcalm and magical Place d'Youville skating rink before us. People holding hands, skating under the twinkling lights. It was like a postcard. Absolutely idyllic. We grew to love these winter tours. Getting settled in cozy venues, meeting the loveliest, warmest people in small towns across the province. It was heartwarming and inspiring. So this was the jumping off point for Lumières d'hiver (Winter Lights). I wanted to write a sort of musical love letter to these wonderful welcoming towns, and their people. So it made sense to make the album primarily in French.
I wanted to have a mix of familiar melodies, and newer tunes. And speaking of newer tunes - this album marked the first time that I contributed completely original material. I also wanted to work with some of my favourite Montréal musicians, as well as some of my long-time band members.
Lumières d'hiver is available wherever music is streamed, and it is also available in High Resolution at 96/24. If you'd like the full liner notes, you can download them, as well as the lyrics, using the buttons below.
track list
COMBIEN DE NOËL? Matthieu Beaumont, David Brunet, Catherine Leduc
JANVIER Poème: Louis Frechette m.Emilie-Claire Barlow, Steve Webster
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Walter Kent, Kim Gannon
HEY SANTA (feat. Ingrid St-Pierre) Jack Kugell, Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson
THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ (version française) Jule Styne
LE DERNIER NOËL Emilie-Claire Barlow, Steve Webster
LUMIÈRES D’HIVER Emilie-Claire Barlow, Steve Webster
PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Charles Brown, Gene Redd
RIVER Joni Mitchell
MARIE-NOËL Claude Gauthier, Robert Charlebois
CHANSON POUR UNE NUIT D’HIVER Gordon Lightfoot, Robert Gauthier
AS-TU VU LE PÈRE NOËL? (feat. Mitsou Gelinas) Jacques Blanchet, George Lagios, Denis Pantis
NOËL BLANC Irving Berlin , Francis Blanche
MY DEAR ACQUAINTANCE Paul Horner, Peggy Lee
Felix and Two-time Juno Award winning vocalist, arranger, producer Emilie-Claire Barlow presents Lumières d’hiver (Winter Lights)
Her 12th album continues Emilie-Claire's musical evolution with her first foray into song writing. Lumières d’hiver showcases three new original compositions -- Le dernier Noël, Janvier and title track Lumières d’hiver. Always pushing her boundaries, her original compositions honour Emilie-Claire's love of sophisticated pop music. Emilie-Claire's re-invention of cherished classics such as I’ll Be Home for Christmas, River, Noël Blanc breathe new life into these familiar chestnuts.
A surprise duet appearance by Mitsou Gelinas on Renée Martel's As-Tu Vu Le Père Noël? is charming and jazzy and a re-imagined 90's pop duet Hey Santa (en français) with chanteuse Ingrid St-Pierre is sophisticated and groovy. The album features Emilie-Claire’s usual cast of stellar musicians as well as Québec music scene luminaries Jean-François Beaudet (gtr) and Melissa Lavergne (percussion).
Lumières d’hiver is Emilie-Claire's homage to the beautiful winters of Québec and the Québécois who celebrate it with warmth and charm.
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