New pop-rock EP where Valerie bares her soul, and reaches out for love, life and self acceptance.

7 MP3 Songs
POP: Today's Top 40, ROCK: Folk Rock



Details:
The story behind "All I Need"

"All I need is
Just a little kindness
All I want is
To feel the warmth of your smile"
--"All I Need"

For Valerie Ising, 2005 began with the push to complete the new EP, "All I Need", consisting of seven new songs. These songs speak from the heart about love, losses, hope, and identity.

Like her previous release, "Beyond the Comfort Zone", the new CD has original songs penned by Valerie and Rudy Ising. These are songs that are musically interesting and emotionally charged.

"Time keeps moving on
Demanding me to follow
No matter how hard I try
I can't always rise above this sorrow"
--"Move On"

The youngest of seven children raised by single parent, Valerie absorbed the counter-culture lifestyle of her older siblings who came of age in the early 1970s. "My mom had performed in community musical theater, and I'm sure that's where I inherited my big voice. She was always singing around the house. But I was drawn to the intensity and strength of the women who were making great music at the time, like Heart, Carole King, and Linda Rondstadt." Many of these songs build upon those models.

"Not gonna be
What you want me to be
You can love me or leave me
Just take me as I am, tired of living on the edge
Walking on this tight rope
Living in your shadow
Take me as I am, or if you want to walk away
Just go ahead
I won't be jumping through
Any hoops for you today"
--"Take me as I am"

At a young age Valerie had an intense passion for music and as she grew up she developed her style by mixing this passion with a more in depth understanding of humanity. Her desire for human understanding and communication led to her earning a BA in Psychology, and work in counseling and teaching. A dynamic and charismatic speaker, Valerie has an outstanding ability to connect with people.

"The woman leads the child
Through the crazy world outside
And the child reminds the woman
Let go of your foolish pride
She overcomes the world
By embracing both woman and child"
--"Woman and Child"


By her twenties Valerie had begun to pursue a career as a singer. One day she entered a recording studio to work on a demo and her life changed. Valerie fell in love with the recording engineer who also happened to own the studio. Recalls Rudy Ising "I'm a writer. Valerie is a vocalist. It's a perfect match." From this marriage came the first CD, "Beyond the Comfort Zone", and now, "All I Need". Emotionally exposed-all the way from hurt through redemption-these songs take you straight into the mind and heart of Valerie's soul.

"As I look with contemplation
At the stars in the sky above
I wonder what has fed my soul
In the absence of such love
And I feel a flowing river
Running through me
Breathing life where echoes
Of a dream used to be

And now I see
I've been reborn
I see how living waters
Have filled me up
Where I once mourned"
--"Echoes of a Dream"

The "All I Need" EP is now available from Ocean Door Records-get your copy today!