Beth Hart's voice stirs more than the emotions. It is a uniquely powerful vocal presence that paints pictures, parses prose and sculpts statues in every song. While it is difficult to define the essence of great art, you sure know it when you hear it.
Beth's remarkable artistry attracted superstar producers David Foster, Hugh Padgham and Mike Clink to collaborate with her on her very first album, 1996's Immortal (Atlantic). Perhaps her gift for turning each song into a deeply personal communication between singer and listener was most evident on "L.A.
Song," her worldwide radio smash (a Top 5 AC hit in the U.S.) from her second album, 1999's Sceamin' For My Supper (Atlantic). Beth's charismatic performances of the song on Leno, Letterman and Kilborn touched off strong audience reaction nationwide creating phenomenal spikes in sales and radio requests across the country. The fire in that very special voice seemed to engulf America. Apparently, you know it when you see it, as well.
However, the mark of a really great artist is that they will always find room to grow.
Leave The Light On, Beth's KOCH records debut, is an outstanding document of personal and professional development and her finest work to date. The recording is a revealing and courageous visit to a location of raw emotion, a place so hidden in the heart of the deeply personal, that only someone of her artistic integrity could draw us a map.
Beth stated, "With this album I wanted to wrestle with the edges a little and stretch out. I wasn't going to allow myself to be too traditional. I avoided the typical. I'm not afraid of the feelings I express because all of them are totally real. I know the difficulties of the experiences I sing about. I've been through every one of them."
Oliver Leiber, who was a key collaborator on the current project and had previously teamed with Beth on "L.A. Song," noted, "I've known Beth for over 5 years and in that time some amazing changes have happened. She's grown so much as a woman and as an artist. Her latest work reflects what a great place she's in." The first single, "Leave The Light On," which was produced by Leiber, addresses the most basic of human needs and fears: security. We "leave the light on" to combat all those threats that move under the cover of night. While as we grow older we try to be less afraid of the dark, sometimes those old demons can seem like they never went away. Once again, Beth is able to tap into that universal experience with affective precision. The track is already charting in the Top 10 after only 6 weeks of airplay in New Zealand, where the album was released early to coincide with Beth's sold-out June tour with David Gray.
"World Without You," which was produced by Oliver Leiber and written by Leiber and John Shanks, again takes us to a lonely but familiar place. As Beth noted, "It talks about a very painful situation that most of us have had to deal with in our lives. You're in love with someone who leaves you and now you have to face the new reality." Oliver knew that Beth was perfect for this particular song. Leiber exclaimed, "Beth is one of the few artists who can really deliver these lyrics. Something this complex requires a true singer to pull it off because it's so emotionally draining."
About "Lay Your Hands On Me," which was produced by Danny Saber and written by Beth and her guitarist, Jon Nichols, Beth says, "This song is dark and hot and reveals what every woman wants but few have the courage to ask for." On the experience of recording with Beth, Saber remarked, "Producing her on this track was like sculpting, because there was so much great raw material to work with. I wanted her to be inspired to lay down as much as she wanted and she made it sexy and soulful. It reminded me of the way Mick Jagger would have approached it."
"Sky Full Of Clover" examines the strength of faith and finds its center in the spirituality of roots Gospel music. Producer Mike Bradford, who also produced several other cuts on the album, admits, "This is one of the most meaningful songs any artist has released in a long time. I can actually hear it being played in a church 20 years from now and the parishioners thinking it's a traditional hymn instead of a pop song. It's rare to find a singer/songwriter who has that gospel, church-like spirit in her music."
In the final analysis, finding harmony with real human emotion is what Beth Hart is all about. She enthuses, "When your life is in balance, you really know where to put your energy. This album is going to make people think, because it's all about having positive new things to say about experiences we all share. That's why we spent so much time on it. All involved were not going to be satisfied until it felt real and felt right! When you're happy, when you've found your place in the world, great things come out of you."
