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Washington, NJ – John Apice, No Depression – Hope & Other Sins CD Review: “…Andrea continues to prove her talent with words is no flash in the pan. The stories are decorated in wonderful images and turn of phrase. Many songwriters sing and write fairly good melodies but to catch that ear with a clever line in a lyric over and over is talent of a rare kind. Joni Mitchell has it, Dylan, Leonard Cohen, John Prine, Lucinda Williams and several others – who are famous. Despite still flying below their radar, Andrea deserves the special attention for her detailed, concise writing ability and fine voice. She is economical in her approach but the recipe is flavorful, consistent and memorable.”
Toronto , ON – Peter Goddard, The Toronto Star : “This makes the world a better place. If there’s a Juno for unaffected innocence it should go to this second release by Sand Point, Nova Scotian born singer/songwriter, coming off a seven year hiatus since the 2005 debut release of her debut, Lemonade. Hope & Other Sins 10 neatly crafted country leaning-songs are tunefully melodic and believable in their straightforward narratives. The now-Toronto based artist has the enviable quality of sounding exactly like the characters she’s created…”
ABOUT HOPE & OTHER SINS
There is always hope. And if one is very lucky, a little sin becomes part of the bargain. Music lovers will surely enjoy this good fortune with the release of Andrea England’s sophomore CD, “Hope & Other Sins”!
A full 7 years after her debut which, when it was released, won the Nova Scotian native serious recognition: from a John Lennon International Songwriting prize to acknowledgements from the USA International, OCFF and NSAI Songwriting Competitions, Music Nova Scotia, and the Toronto Independent Music Awards.
And to think that an ill-fated, life-altering car accident back in 1999 might have ended this momentum – and her story (she was delivering first EP to a record store in the nation’s capital). Although it brought her career to a full stop, she survived with a fresh outlook, and resolved to turn all lemons to ‘lemonade’ – ultimately, the title of her award-winning debut.
The accident and subsequent heart-related illness further cemented England’s resolve to hone her craft. A songwriter first, and a hungry one at that with 140 compositions and counting, her collaborations with an international Who’s Who of songwriting professionals include Dan Hill, Bruce Brody (Rickie Lee Jones, Patty Smith), Suzie Vinnick, Bryan Allen (Heart), Jeremy Ruzumna (Macy Gray), Liz Rodrigues (Eminem), and many others.
Picked up by television and movie producers hoping to lock into the fickle young adult market through England’s insightful musical themes and pop-oriented hooks, she has landed songs on hit TV shows like “Dawson’s Creek” and “Party of 5”, keeping her talents in the news since the success of “Lemonade”.
Add to the mix songs co-written for the likes of Boi-1da-produced Nicole Scherzinger debut double Gold solo project Killer Love, and French Idol finalist Miss Dominique’s debut album, and you have an artist whose breadth of talent is unmistakable.
Now returning to her own solo project, it has taken her no less attention-to-detail and artistry to craft the second offering– a decidedly different take on her singer-songwriter stance with the deft guitar and production skills of Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams) and top musicians from Nashville to New York, to Toronto and Canada’s east coast! Under Linden’s tutelage, England’s sensitive songcraft and rigorous attention to lyrical integrity is grafted to a calibre of musicianship befitting her material.
A core team of Gary Craig (drums), John Dymond (bass), John Whynot (piano, organ) and Linden on a rootsy array of guitars, mandolins and dobro, give England’s 10 new compositions the musical artistry they deserve. Add in Damhnait Doyle, Liz Rodrigues and Carolyn Dawn Johnson on harmony vocals and players like Gordie Sampson (guitars), Dan Dugmore (pedal steel—James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt) and Bruce Brody (piano), and the concept of ‘hope’ hardly comes into it.
Take songs like the England/Brody co-write, “Fool’s Gold” with its delicate singing over a light piano touch or the just-plain-pretty “Laundry”, in which this singer-songwriter heads down an alt-country road to great effect. Linden wisely underplays the orchestration around England’s clear, distinctive voice – accentuating both the lyric and underscoring its mood. Consider the lovely instrumentation under “Drive” or the ramped up guitar intro into “Lonely” before its sweet chorus takes over, atop Whynot’s strong B3 work.
Standout tracks like “Picture of You” transpose England’s gentle vocal with Dugmore’s weeping pedal steel as mandolin and percussion bring it home. The opening track, “The Thought Of You” – announces England’s return, atop a backdrop of muscular guitars and spicy B3 — a blend that reveals her heart as it hints at the sinful side of the album’s title.
Fiercely indie, Andrea England is perfectly poised to take on the next chapter of her career, generously offering up the best of both worlds (roots meets pop) and the rich palette of her heart. – Lisa Weitz
MORE REVIEWS / ACCOLADES
- Montreal, Que – LadyIndie.Com – Hope & Other Sins album review: “England is off to a great start with this album, proving herself as a very crafty songwriter indeed, one who can reach straight to the heart.
- Montreal, Que – Rick Keene, Rick Keene’s Music Scene – Hope & Other Sins album review: “Wistfulness comes to mind describing the album Hope and Other Sins. Wistfulness and melancholia. The world requires England’s messages. The world filled with so many mixed messages, it requires self – effectiveness more than ever….Fool’s Gold’ will be the favorite of any fan of Rickie Lee Jones. If England spent any time with Jones it must have been like long lost twins meeting for the first time in years….”
- Syracuse, NY – Andrea is profiled in the January 2013 issue of International Musician magazine!
- Montreal, ON – Hope & Other Sins ranks # 5 on Galaxie FolkRoots top played albums of 2012!
- Halifax, NS – Andrea is chosen to showcase at the 25th anniversary of ECMA week in March, 2013. Catch her at the Company House in Halifax on March 15th.
- Kamloops, BC – Andrea wins Country 103’s Emerging Artist Showdown! Many thanks to all who voted!
- Fort McMurray, AB – Sean Conroy, Mix 103.7 fm Radio – Feature interview on “Northern Spotlight“!
- Kamloops, BC – Andrea is one of three artists featured on Country 103’s Emerging Artists Showdown! Vote for Andrea here!
- Waterloo & Guelph, ON – Robert Reid, The Record – Review: “Andrea England’s sophomore Hope & Other Sins promises to be a breakthrough album for the Nova Scotia-raised singer/songwriter. Produced by Colin Linden, the rootsy pop album features a Who’s Who of musicians including drummer Gary Craig, bassist John Dymond, keyboardist John Whynot, guitarist Gordie Sampson and pedal steel guitarist Dan Dugmore, along with vocalists Damhnait Doyle and Carolyn Dawn Johnson, among others. That England holds her own in such impressive company speaks to the strengths of Hope & Other Sins.”
- Guelph, ON – Robert Reid, Guelph Mercury – Hope & Other Sins album review
- Toronto, ON – Read this lovely review of Hope & Other Sins by Musician/Music Blogger, Makeda Taylor.
- Wallaceburg & Dresden, ON – Andrea is interviewed by CKXS‘s Jay Smith
- Wallaceburg & Dresden, ON – Andrea is added to CKXS‘s Emerging Artist of the month poll!
- Kanata, ON – Michael Trenholm, East Coast Kitchen Party.com feature & interview: Nova Scotia Native Andrea England Reaches the Top of the Charts with “Hope & Other Sins
- Toronto , ON – Listen to Andrea on CBC Radio One’s Fresh Air with Mary Ito here: From Lemons to Lemonade Note: Copyright restrictions prohibited inclusion of the music originally contained in the interview.
- Nova Scotia – Sea & Be Scene – “Cool Persons” feature: Andrea England – No Place Like Home In Nova Scotia
- Dundas , ON – David Kidney, Critics at Large – Sinfully Good: Andrea England’s Hope & Other Sins: “The songs are autobiographical, personal, honest and universal. The performances are potent as you might expect; England’s vocals are delicate yet strong, powerfully supported by the band’s precision. The album is filled with hope … the sin would be that nobody hears it.”
- Glace Bay, NS – Bill McNeil, The Coast 89.7 FM – “The Thought Of You” chosen as “Pick Hit #2“
- Vancouver, BC – The Straight.com ( on “Hothouse Flower”): “It’s a tossup as to what’s cooler: the fact that Andrea England sounds like the Heartless Bastards doing Tom Waits, or that she has dressed up this bluesy, bourbon-scented beauty in 16 coats of shimmering Hammond.”
- Tignish, PEI – John Gavin, Atlantic Seabreeze – Hope & Other Sins in Review: “Incredible songwriting… fans are in for a treat with this new album!”
- Antigonish, NS- Richard Mackenzie, The Antigonish Casket: “England Releases Hope & Other Sins“
- DALLAS, TX – Winecowboy, @Winecowboy: “Just 2 songs is all it took for me to become a fan of artist Andrea England. Canada doing Folk/Americana right.”
- Port Hawkesbury, NS) – Adam Cooke, The Port Hawkesbury Reporter: “New Andrea England CD features Maritime touches” (online article available only to Port Hawkesbury Reporter subscribers
- Philadelphia, PA – John O’Hara, Not The Opera – A Spotify Guide: ” Toronto’s Andrea England – Hope & Other Sins (2012): Our Folk Playlist pick is the airy upbeat love song, ‘Laundry’. A poignant telling with universal appeal with its clever lyrics, nice hook, lovely vocals, and an ending that caught me off guard. The kind of ending that begs the replay.“
- Toronto, ON – Noah Siegel, New Canadian Music – Hope & Other Sins: “It’s clear how Andrea’s a songwriter through and through; the record easily sounds like something Kathleen Edwards or Tina Dico would release. This record has great folk moments that reveal themselves in top-notch pop production. Listen to the memorable “Laundry” and be sure to get a copy.”
ALBUM CREDITS:
Hope & Other Sins was produced by Colin Linden. Recorded By John Whynot at the Rendering Plant, Nashville. Additional Recording And Editing by Colin Linden at Pinhead Recorders, Nashville and Joao Carvalho B Room, Toronto. Additional “Fool’s Gold” piano recorded by Keith Rigling at Dubway Studios, NYC. Mixed by Colin Linden at Pinhead Recorders, Nashville/Toronto except “Fool’s Gold,” “Thought Of You,” and “Trying” mixed by John Whynot at the Palm Door, LA. Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, NYC. Art Design by A Man Called Wrycraft
MUSICIANS:
Andrea England: Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Colin Linden: Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Mandolin, Dobro, Harmony Vocals
John Whynot: Piano And Organ
Gary Craig: Drums And Percussion
John Dymond: Bass
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Bruce Brody: Piano on “Fool’s Gold”
Damhnait Doyle: Harmony Vocals on “The Thought of You”
Liz Rodrigues: Harmony Vocals on “Learn To Dance” and “Lonely”
Carolyn Dawn Johnson: Harmony Vocals on “Trying,” and “Hothouse Flower”
Dan Dugmore: Pedal Steel on “Picture Of You,” “Trying,” and “I’m Not Ready Yet”
Gordie Sampson: Acoustic Guitar on “The Thought Of You,” Lyric Guitar on “Drive,” Mandolin on “Picture Of You”
SONGS & SONGWRITERS:
The Thought of You: Lyrics by Andrea England, Music by Andrea England & Bruce Brody
Lonely: Lyrics & Music by Andrea England, Liz Rodrigues & Stuart Cameron
Hothouse Flower: Lyrics & Music by Andrea England & Hillary Kourkoutis
Fool’s Gold: Lyrics by Andrea England, Music by Andrea England & Bruce Brody
Laundry: Lyrics & Music by Andrea England
Trying: Lyrics & Music by Andrea England
Picture of You: Lyrics by Andrea England, Music by Andrea England & Dave Milliken
I’m Not Ready: Lyrics by Andrea England, Mark Vescovi & Rob Wells
Drive: Lyrics & Music by Andrea England
Learn To Dance: Lyrics & Music by Andrea England, Liz Rodrigues & Luke McMaster
PUBLISHING DETAILS:
Andrea England is published by Lemonade Factory Music (SOCAN)
Bruce Brody is published by Sophie the Sprout (ASCAP)
Hillary Kourkoutis is published by Kill HIll (SOCAN)
Liz Rodrigues is published by Matriz Music/Universal (SOCAN)
Luke McMaster is published by EKUL Music/Universal (SOCAN)
Rob Wells is published by Imagine It Sony/ATV (SOCAN)
Stuart Cameron is published by StusBrus (SOCAN)
Hope & Other Sins ℗ & © 2012, Lemonade Factory Music
For More Information/Publicity/Interviews contact: Lemonade Factory Music
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