MP3 Apple Tree - POP: Folky Pop

Enchanting melodic female pop. Refreshing with depth and edge.

11 MP3 Songs
POP: Folky Pop, FOLK: Alternative Folk

Details:
In 2006, after eight years of fronting the critically acclaimed Colorado-based band, Newcomers Home, and releasing her first solo record, Watch Them Fall, as a side projectâsinger/songwriter Katie Herzig retreated to the solitude of her bedroom studio. There, she single-handedly recorded and produced Weightless, a tour-de-force of innovative sonics and songwriting whose tracks have been prominently featured on NPR, KCRWâs Morning Becomes Eclectic, E.R., Smallville, and, most recently, on two episodes of televisionâs highest-rated drama, Greyâs Anatomy.


Following the release of Weightless, Herzig left Colorado for Nashville and immediately started to catch the attention of other artists. Her song âHeavenâs My Homeâ received a 2007 Grammy nomination for best country performance by The Duhks. She was also invited to open shows for The Fray and join PASTE Magazine and American Songwriter Magazine sponsored tours.


Performing Songwriter Magazine wrote, âKatie Herzig possesses gravity-defying powers on her latest release, balancing heavy and mournful lyrics with light pop melodies that bounce and float into the stratosphere.â PASTE Magazineâs Jason Killingsworth said, âKatie Herzig has a whimsical side that I love. Her music doesnât take itself too seriously, and the lyrics always [have] a sharp emotional edge to them. Iâm a huge fan.â


And now, on May 13, 2008, Katie Herzigâs fans can expect her most adventurous and satisfying album yet: Apple Tree.


While Apple Tree is every bit as melodic and emotionally incisive as Herzigâs previous records, it is nonetheless a bold and assertive step forward. According to Herzig, âWeightless was very much a do-it-yourself, homemade project, but the recording of Apple Tree became very collaborative and pushed me to places, performance and production- wise, that I might not have gone on my own.â


Working as her own producer, Herzig teamed up with Nashville multi-instrumentalist and producer Cason Cooley (The Normals, Derek Webb) for five tracksâas well as with two members of The Fray team, producer Aaron Johnson and guitarist David Welsh on the track âHologram.â Herzig: âThe song âHologramâ was actually written partly in response to a conversation Iâd had with Aaron, who said he missed how I used to belt when I sang with the band. So it felt appropriate to record that song with him.â


Though Herzig is the sole author of most of Apple Tree, two of the songs (âI Will Followâ and âI Want To Belong To Youâ) were co-written with well-known songwriter Kim Richey. âIâve learned so much writing with Kim,â Herzig says. âEspecially about patience. Allowing the songs to take the time they need to develop, rather than rushing to finish them and ultimately settling.â


Patience is also a trademark of producer Cason Cooleyâs contribution to Apple Tree. âIâm always in such a hurry to get my ideas recorded,â Herzig admits, âbut Cason helped slow me down. He is an explorer with an incredible ear for melodies. He also helped hand-pick many of the musicians we asked to play on the record.â Nashville recording artists Sandra McCracken and Ruby Amanfu also lent their voices to a few songs on the project.


As on Weightless, Herzig again worked side-by-side with Grammy winner Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, John Prine) and Brandon Bell, who mixed the album, helping to massage two yearsâ worth of songs and the work of three producers into a cohesive artistic statement.


The result is Apple Tree: a spellbinding, uniquely immersive listening experience that deftly manages to be at once playful and impassionedâchallenging and comfortableâintimate and epic.


Which is exactly what listeners have come to expect from Katie Herzig.


www.katieherzig.com

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