LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ Courgette Records) - Over the first decade of her career,
Judith Owen has relentlessly followed her own muse, independently releasing recordings that have captivated fans, Hollywood music supervisors, fellow artists and the most discerning critics. With the same determination she has applied to finding her voice, she has also found her audience, in spite of the music industry downturn in which she was signed by a major label and nearly left to languish when its presidency changed hands. So it is a particularly timely triumph that she is completing and will release Mopping Up Karma, the album that was going to be her major label debut, now that she has garnered such immense acclaim on her own. And, continuing to take advantage of the most current distribution platforms, she, in collaboration with various entities and events, will make available several key singles from the album prior to its release on vinyl and as a digital bundle, June 3 on Courgette Records.
Owen is substantially transforming the recordings for their upcoming release re-recording vocals, re-mixing tracks, and more. She was inspired to bring the material to fruition when she recently listened to it for the first time in years and was struck by how good the songs were. She had begun making the album in 1998 with Glen Ballard, whose discovery of Owen performing in the Hollywood club Luna Park led to her signing by the Capitol boutique label Java Records. Setting out to make her first album for the label, Owen began writing and recording with Clifton Magness (Avril Lavigne) and Ballard, both of whom co-wrote, engineered, produced and played on various tracks. Owen wrote the lyrics and the bulk of the music, and supplied all of the vocals, piano and keyboard parts (organ/strings). The original recordings also featured contributions from such eminent musicians as Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers), who played Hammond organ, and David Campbell (Alanis Morissette, The Goo Goo Dolls), who provided orchestrations.
The first single to be released in advance of the full album this June is 'Let's Hear It for Love,' which will debut February 12, along with a video, on www.mydamnchannel.com. The song a perfect Valentine's Day soundtrack will be available for purchase via various online retailers and download services. Owen has appeared on My Damn Channel previously, in music videos made with her collaborator and husband, Harry Shearer. Other Mopping Up Karma singles will be released in April and May, in connection with other events; these will be announced soon.
Mopping Up Karma is the follow-up to Owen's Happy This Way, which has earned rave reviews and profiles from the likes of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, MORE and The Boston Globe, among many others. USA Today calls it a gem. In connection with the album, Owen was recently featured 'Live in Studio 4A' on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, as well on PRI's 'The World' and in two consecutive appearances on the KTLA Morning Show, among other radio and television appearances nationwide. Owen's previous album, Here, led to her discovery by NBC's 'Today Show.'
Owen has been especially praised for her live performances. Stephen Holden's review in The New York Times said she, showed how much color and sonic depth can be extracted out of a single keyboard. Audiences can see her this and next month performing with her frequent collaborator, Richard Thompson, in his 1,000 Years of Popular Music show. Please see below for an itinerary of upcoming engagements.
Owen's music will also soon become available via the new Amazon.com MP3 service, which will launch in a major promotional campaign with Pepsi that begins Super Bowl Sunday, February 3.
Judith Owen with Richard Thompson in 1,000 Years of Popular Music
January 29, 2008 Hanover, NH Spaulding Auditorium
January 30, 2008 Ithaca, NY State Theatre
January 31, 2008 New York, NY Nokia Theatre
February 1, 2008 Boston, MA Berklee PC
February 2, 2008 Huntington, NY IMAC
February 4, 2008 Kent, OK Kent Stage
February 5, 2008 Dayton, OH Schuster Center
February 7, 2008 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre
February 8, 2008 Rockford, IL Coronado Theatre
February 9, 2008 Schaumburg, IL Prairie Center for the Arts
February 11, 2008 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
February 12, 2008 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
