New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Sh-K-Boom Records) Tense, Riveting, Acoustic Album Offers Unadorned Covers of Well-Known Rock Songs
Tony Winner Alice Ripley Evokes a Thin Line Between Mania and Reverence, as her 'Next To Normal' Persona Gives Way to Real Life, in a Cathartic 'Daily Practice, Volume 1'
CD Out Feb 15th via Sh-K-Boom Records
Highlights Include Ripley's Interpretations of Bruce Springsteen's 'Thunder Road', 'Essence' by Lucinda Williams and 'Take It Easy' by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey
Imagine the emotional toll taken by Alice Ripley's Tony Award winning performance as Diana in the Pulitzer Prize winning 'Next to Normal' - to offset her immersion into Diana's unhinged world, Ripley began the habit of retreating to her hotel at the end of the evening, picking up her acoustic guitar, and beginning a 'daily practice' of relieving the day's work by performing some of her most beloved rock songs, alone, in her room.
The result is the stark and often disquieting 'Daily Practice, Volume 1' out 2/15 on Sh-K-Boom Records. The ten-song collection is Ripley's cathartic release through song, and the results are riveting and raw, as her 'Next To Normal' persona gives way to real life. To the listener, some familiar tracks might veer towards unsettling - but for Ripley, singing these songs ground her and remind her of who she is and where she comes from - they provide a sense of comfort.
Highlights include a haunted take on Bruce Springsteen's 'Thunder Road', a propulsive cover of Lucinda Williams' 'Essence', 'Anticipation' by Carly Simon and much more. Watch video of Ripley performing the stripped-down songs here:
THUNDER ROAD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pMIw2f5tpw
ESSENCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOd3aow-hf4
TAKE IT EASY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0V1n_GNNdc
See additional details about the album, and hear samples via https://www.sh-k-boom.com/dailypracticevol1.shtml.
Track listing:
1. "Message in a Bottle" - Written by Sting
2. "It's Too Late" - Written by Carole King & Toni Stern
3. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - Written by Victor Reina, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson, Dave Evans & Adam Clayton
4. "You Oughta Know" - Written by Alanis Morissette & Glen Ballard
5. "Essence" - Written by Lucinda Williams
6. "Thunder Road" - Written by Bruce Springsteen
7. "The Flyer" - Written by Nanci Griffith
8. "Take It Easy" - Written by Jackson Browne & Glenn Frey
9. "Everybody Hurts" - Written by William Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills & Michael Stipe
10. "Anticipation" - Written by Carly Simon
BROADWAY.COM EXCLUSIVE
12/10 https://www.broadway.com/buzz/154591/exclusive-tony-winner-alice-ripley-on-her-new-album-of-rock-covers-daily-practice-volume-1/
Exclusive! Tony Winner Alice Ripley on Her New Album of Rock Covers, Daily Practice: Volume 1
Tony Award winner Alice Ripley is prepping a new solo recording for Sh-K-Boom Records, the same label that released her 2000 debut album Everything's Fine and the acclaimed original cast recording of Next to Normal. Daily Practice: Volume 1 will feature acoustic covers of songs from artists like Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Carole King, Alanis Morissette, Carly Simon and U2."It's a collection of songs that I play every day," Ripley told Broadway.com in an exclusive chat about the new CD. "I pick up my guitar every day, especially at times where I don't know where I am or who I am. My guitar reminds me... Reminds me of why I wanted to sing and who I am and what I have to say."Ripley first began playing the songs publicly during recent concerts at Backstage Dopo Teatro after finishing her Tony-winning run in Next to Normal. "I have my own songs that I've written, and I've had things to say through my songs, but these songs are covers of rock tunes that influenced me at a young age and made me want to sing, made me want to write and basically have kept me alive." Ripley is currently reprising her role as Diana in Next to Normal at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, the first stop of the musical's national tour. Her other Broadway credits include Sunset Boulevard, Side Show, Les Miserables and The Rocky Horror Show. In addition to Everything's Fine, she has released albums from her band RIPLEY and two recordings with her Side Show co-star Emily Skinner.Produced by Ripley and Sh-K-Boom founder Kurt Deutsch, Daily Practice: Volume 1 is the first of an intended series of cover albums by the songstress. It is expected to be released in early 2011.
MORE ABOUT ALICE RIPLEY:
ALICE RIPLEY received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical as well as a Helen Hayes Award, for her performance in Next To Normal. Alice's work includes nearly 20 years as an actor on and off-Broadway. Side Show (1996) earned her a cult following and a Tony nomination for her portrayal of conjoined twin Violet Hilton. Alice also received Helen Hayes Award nominations for her work in Ken Ludwig's Shakespeare In Hollywood at the Arena Stage, Company at the Kennedy Center's Sondheim festival, and for the one woman show Tell Me On A Sunday. It was her performance as Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Prizewinning Next to Normal that catapulted her into the hearts and minds of audiences. Ms. Ripley has written a hundred songs and she records and performs regularly with her band RIPLEY. She also works on canvases with mixed media and enjoys her YouTube "Sandbox" experiments with video and photography. Ripley's 2001 CD 'Everything's Fine' was one of Sh-K-Boom's earliest releases.
More about Ghostlight Records:
Sh-K-Boom Records, with its imprint Ghostlight Records, proudly celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. Founded by Kurt Deutsch and wife Sherie Rene Scott in 2001, the label has emerged as the leading independent force in musical theatre recordings. The label was created by and for the Broadway community. The label has since emerged as the standard bearer on the Broadway music scene. Their releases of the OCRs for Tony winners In The Heights and Passing Strange, as well as their single release featuring the winner of MTV's Legally Blonde The Musical competition, have brought them acclaim for their innovative marketing techniques and their efforts to reach the next generation of Broadway music fans via iTunes, music videos and more. The label (and President Kurt Deutsch) recently earned their first ever GRAMMY AWARD for In The Heights. Coverage has ranged from Rolling Stone to USA TODAY to The New York Times, from Blender Magazine to Playbill to Billboard, from AP Radio to Entertainment Weekly, from New York Magazine to Variety to NY-1 TV, from Time Out NY to Paper Magazine to The Advocate to The NY Daily News and much more. Other current releases include the double CD collector's edition of 'Reefer Madness' and 'Patti LuPone at Les Mouches,' which received expansive and wildly favorable media overage. Their release of Sutton Foster's solo CD, 'Wish', garnered coverage including two USA TODAY 'Listen Up Music Picks', an appearance on NBC-TV Weekend Today Show, and a debut on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. Their releases of 'HAIR,' 'Next to Normal' and 'Everyday Rapture' garnered national coverage as well. President Kurt Deutsch was interviewed by PLAYBILL, regarding the label's embrace of 'Broadway's Digital Age': https://www.playbill.com/features/article/118331.html . This fall, Ghostlight released the Original Cast recording of 'Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson', 'Christine Ebersole Sings Noel Coward,' (The 2-time Tony winner's 3rd album on the label), and the Original Cast Recording of 'Ordinary Days,' all to rave reviews. The company is recognized for reinventing the musical theatre recording landscape, and creating a new type of 'United Artists' environment for Broadway producers and artists to participate in the funding and co-ownership of their albums.
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