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Multi-platinum Canadian-born, NSW Australia-based singer-songwriter Wendy Matthews is working on three projects simultaneously. In between she’s appeared on the first three series of television’s It Takes Two, and built her own mudbrick house on the NSW North Coast. One is an album of original songs, another a record of duets with performers she has worked with in her past.
“She” is the first release through her own label, Barking Bear Records. It is a tribute mostly to the strong female troubadours who made an impact on Wendy, who left her home in Montreal at 16 and traveled around Canada, the United States and Mexico busking. She ended in Los Angeles where she became a much-sought-after session singer. When she moved to Australia in 1983, she made hugely successful solo albums as Émigré (1990), Lily (1992), The Witness Tree (1994), Ghosts (1997), Beautiful View (2001) and Cafe Naturale (2004).
“These songs and these artists meant a lot to me in my formative years,” explains Wendy about the concept behind She. “They were strong women who used their personal suffering to create songs of such depth and beauty. There’s too much going on in the world to sing another love song and these women are the epitome of that.”
Fallen Angels: “Buffy St. Marie was an inspirational poet. This was written in the ‘80s but it’s been so topical in a pre-Obama world. This is a wonderful political song, which is why I wanted it as the first track and the first single off the set.”
Cherokee Louise: “I grew up in Canada with many Native American friends. Until I heard this Joni Mitchell song, written from a 13-year old’s point of view, I didn’t understand what these girls went through when they went home. I’ve been to the Broadway Bridge in Saskatchewan and the high pile of dust is there as the song says.”
Four Strong Winds: “The dream of every teenage kid growing up on the Canadian east coast was to go west. I was among them. I left my first boyfriend to go west. This Neil Young song captures that time for me.”
She: “I knew Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons, who co-wrote the song, were a love interest. That one word title encapsulated the whole record for me. I don’t know who this ‘forgotten singer’ who ‘sings like an angel’ is, maybe she was real, maybe she wasn’t.”
Til You Came Back To Me: “I wanted to tip my hat to Aretha Franklin as a singer. This Steve Wonder song did the trick.”
Kid: “The first Pretenders record was a ground breaker and Chrissie Hynde broke the mould. ‘Kid’ was a beautiful lyric to me.”
Silverblue: “When I got to California Linda Ronstadt was an icon there. I busked to this JD Souther song, one of my favourite writers.”
Fruits Of My Labour: “I love Lucinda Williams’ poetry, her sensibility with her musicians, and the way she’s a single woman of her age forging her own way. I sped it up to make it a classic blues song.”
Faithless Love: “I arrived in California at 16 and attended a festival. Someone pushed me on stage. I’d busked with this JD Souther song so I closed my eyes and sang. The crowd loved it, and I remember how this song changed everything for me.”
99 Pounds: “I wanted to pay homage to one of the original soul singers, and Ann Peebles gave people like Tina Turner their mojo. Plus since I was 15, I’ve weighed 99 pounds!”
Life Is a Red Wagon: “Jane Siberry is a Canadian who inspired me, her album When I Was A Boy is magic. This is simple yet effective.”
Home: “Karla Bonoff made a beautiful solo record and was the writer behind women like Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt. It encapsulates so many things, like going home especially at the end of a tour.”
DECEMBER 2008
www.wendymatthews.com
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