Lisa Biales Says I’m Singing in My Soul on New CD from Big Song Music, Due April 16 Singer/Songwriter to Celebrate New CD Release with a Series of Promo Events

OXFORD, OH – Singer/songwriter Lisa Biales (pronounced “Be-Alice”) announces an April 16 release date for her new CD, Singing in My Soul, coming from Big Song Music. Lisa is backed on the new CD by Cincinnati-based pianist Ricky Nye (who also produced the album) and the Paris Blues Band (and yes, they really are from France), which includes Thibaut Chopin on upright bass, Anthony Stelmaszack on guitar and Simon “Shuffle” Boyer on drums.

Lisa Biales, with Ricky Nye and The Paris Blues Band will celebrate the new CD release with a series of special promotion events in her native Ohio and Kentucky. Dates include shows at the WNKU – Studio 89 Concert Series at Northern Kentucky University on April 22; the Oxford Community Arts Center in Oxford, Ohio on April 25; and Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza and Concert House in Worthington, Ohio on April 26.

The 10 cuts on Singing in My Soul reflect Lisa’s diverse musical tastes, as she covers everything from gospel (Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Strange Things Happening Every Day” and the title track); blues (Mississippi John Hurt’s “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me,” Sippie Wallace’s “You Got to Know How” and W. C. Handy’s “Careless Love”); old time pop (Blu Lu Barker’s “A Little Bird Told Me,” Peggy Lee’s “Waiting for the Train to Come In”); and even a beautiful slow ballad version of the doo-wop classic, “I Only Have Eyes for You”. Lisa’s lone original song on the album, “Magic Garden,” a tune she wrote in a playful finger-style guitar framework, fits in perfectly amongst the rest of the repertoire. Of special note is her wondrous take of “Write Me in Care of the Blues,” a song she found doing research for the play “Always, Patsy Cline,” in which Biales was cast in the leading role for the local production.

“The director approached me to see if I was interested in playing the part of Patsy Cline for our community theatre group OxAct,” Biales said.  “Well, I loved Patsy Cline and all the songs that were in the show.  I thought about it for about three years.  Finally, I said yes and blocked off my schedule a year in advance.  We hired a fantastic band, and the two-woman show, with Nora Ellen Bowers playing the part of Patsy’s friend Louise, sold out every night for three weeks in Oxford, Ohio. We had a ball and I LOVED singing those wonderful songs and stepping into Patsy Cline's shoes every night. My favorite scene from the play was in the kitchen, sitting at the table, with a cigarette in hand, singing ‘Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray.’”

The organic chemistry of Lisa’s work in the studio with Ricky Nye and The Paris Blues Band translates on disc to a beautifully comfortable listening experience, creating a house concert ambience throughout.  

“I like the feeling we got on this recording over all,” Lisa recalled. “Everyone was in a good mood, cracking on each other. I loved hearing Simon count off a tune ‘un deux trois’ in French. We recorded together in one room; and the vocals are the original ‘scratch’ vocals from the session. We captured something special and I didn’t want to change a thing. When you work with people who like playing together, you get something magical. 

“One of my favorite parts of this recording session was watching Ricky, Thibaut, Simon and Anthony sing on the song, ‘A Little Bird Told Me’. They all stood around one mic and got a real old school call-and-response feel to this song. They were hesitant at first about singing; I told them I loved this kind of singing and wanted their voices on my record.  This song makes me very happy.”

Ohio-based Lisa Biales has spent a lifetime making music. Her diverse musical influences drive her to continue to evolve as an artist, singer and guitarist. Singing in My Soul showcases her amazing gift for making cover songs all her own. She sings with a crystal pure voice and writes music about the simple things in life. Lisa grew up in a musical family and began her career as a performing songwriter at an early age. She’s independently released seven albums of music under her own Big Song Music label, and is heard on radio stations around the world. Her song “Playing with Angels” went to #1 in Australia and “Where the Buckwheat Blooms” hit #32 on the folk radio charts in the U.S.

Her 2012 release, Just Like Honey, was produced by EG Kight and the legendary Paul Hornsby and garnered universal acclaim for Lisa’s music. Just Like Honey was also named as one of the top 100 Blues Albums of 2012 by the Roots Music Report. Lisa has been called “The Belle of the Blues” and critics rave about her powerful, sultry, crystal pure voice.  “She can stretch out a note to the kind of length that makes you forget that you are holding your breath,” said Alternate Root Magazine. “Lisa’s soul-stirring voice and unique guitar has created her signature sound,” wrote The Cincinnati Enquirer.

 

For more information, visit www.lisabiales.com.

ITINERARY

4/22       WNKU-Studio 89 (Griffin Hall, N. KY University - free)                     Highland Hts., KY

4/25       Oxford Community Arts Center 8pm (CD Release Show)               Oxford, OH

4/26       Natalie’s Coal Fired Pizza & Concert House (CD Release Show)    Worthington, OH

5/18       Oxford Wine & Art Festival (Lisa Biales Trio 6:30-8:00pm)               Oxford, OH

Additional dates forthcoming….