''Naked Music'' is
Eleanor McEvoy
Eleanor McEvoy (born 22 January 1967) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She composed the song "Only a Woman's Heart", title track of '' A Woman's Heart'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.
Early life and beginnings
McEvoy's life as ...
's twelfth studio album. ''Naked Music'' was recorded at the Grange Studio in Norfolk. McEvoy recorded the tracks by “studio-performing,” in other words, playing the songs as she would in a live performance. The album features exclusive artwork by acclaimed British artist
Chris Gollon
Chris Gollon (1953 – 25 April 2017) was a British artist.
Gollon was born in London, England. He lived near London, working from his studio in Surrey. He regularly exhibited in London and Monmouth with IAP Fine Art. He had many solo museum ...
. The seeds for McEvoy and Gollon becoming involved in this “mutual stimulus” were sown when McEvoy bought Gollon's painting ‘Champagne Sheila’ after spotting it in a London gallery. In February 2015, while on tour in the UK, McEvoy visited Gollon's exhibition “Incarnation, Mary and Women from the Bible” in
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites.
The cathedral ...
in Norwich. That evening Gollon attended McEvoy's sold-out show in The Bicycle Shop. McEvoy asked Gollon if he would be interested in doing the art work for the cover of ''Naked Music''. Gollon agreed and was so taken with the songs he completed four paintings in response - two on the ‘Naked’ theme, and two related to song titles and lyrics. McEvoy was so pleased with paintings she used all four in ''Naked Music'' CD artwork.
Chris Gollon
Chris Gollon (1953 – 25 April 2017) was a British artist.
Gollon was born in London, England. He lived near London, working from his studio in Surrey. He regularly exhibited in London and Monmouth with IAP Fine Art. He had many solo museum ...
was so taken with the songs, and how they let a man into a woman's thought and how a woman desires a man, that he painted a further 23 paintings inspired by the songs. The album NAKED MUSIC was then launched in London in the exhibition, curated by
IAP Fine Art in January 2016. Later the same year Hot Press, Dublin, published NAKED MUSIC: The Songbook, documenting the unique McEvoy/Gollon artistic boundary crossing, with text and interviews with McEvoy and Gollon by Jackie Hayden, juxtaposed with the paintings and song scores.
Critical reception
...another truly high fidelity studio ‘live’ recording one that takes ‘minimalism’ to a whole new level. It proves, again, that all you need to make a great record is the singer, and the song And she does just that with an a cappella version of ‘The DJ’ (lifted from her 2004 album Early Hours) where she impressively carries the melody with just her vocals...But in its own right, the gentle, whiskey drinking, candle watching music of Naked Music is hard to fault. Few could compare under the glare of such a bright spotlight. Eleanor shines.
A no-brainer: take a singer adored by audiophiles for all the right reasons-great music and great recording....'The DJ' - in a cappella - is a track that will make any hi-fi sound incredible. A display of emotion and intimacy as naked as the title suggests, this CD happens to sound astonishing, too.
Quietly set, sparse and rewarding, "Naked Music", Eleanor McEvoy
...this is undiluted, lean McEvoy with sparse use of acoustic or electric guitars, tapping on an acoustic guitar, singing a cappella, the songs self-penned or co-written with
Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole (born 31 January 1961) is an English singer and songwriter. He was lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo.
Early life
Cole was born in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. He grew up in ne ...
or
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
. Heady stuff for that alone, but this has even more resonance for me: I heard her play a selection of the tracks, armed only with guitar, at a gallery showing paintings by the artist who inspired them. (
Chris Gollon
Chris Gollon (1953 – 25 April 2017) was a British artist.
Gollon was born in London, England. He lived near London, working from his studio in Surrey. He regularly exhibited in London and Monmouth with IAP Fine Art. He had many solo museum ...
) Rushing home to hear it on my system, hell yeah - it's as close to 'real' as you get, short of seeing her live (which I recommend). Unbridled, intimate gorgeousness. KK
Track listings
References
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Eleanor McEvoy albums
2016 albums