Helen Schneider - Movin' On (2017)

It is highly likely to be catching Helen Schneider's curious hazel eyes, if you're trying to put flesh on the word versatility. You'd barely find another female artist succeeding in presenting herself continually afresh with as much playful ease as Helen. Be it on stage, as a major force in musical-theatre or fronting a microphone in a recording-studio - she's eliciting each and every nuance of her characteristic voice. Even in private, she was never shy of confronting challenges, both highs and lows, which she had experienced aplenty within the last 63 years. Always gallantly taking hold of chances, she unhesitatingly faced even the most difficult moments, when it came to dealing with losing a beloved person. It's her courage to realign her life time and again, that is blessing her with versatility in turn. Having packed up her last album Collective Memory, released in September 2015, with some very personal life experiences told in 12 marvelous songs, she continues this path with her new record Movin' On, to be released on May 19, 2017. It features 10 new songs, dealing with departure and life's continuation after having overcome grief. In collaboration with her guitarist Jo Ambros and her friendly colleague Linda Uruburu, she created tracks for her 17th album, that are bursting with life-affirming notes. With Jo taking care of the album's musical alignment, Linda made sure that its lyrical content is nourishing on a very high level. The first song "Slippery Slope of Life" captivates with stark instrumentation, building an ideal space for Helen's immensely multifaceted voice to come to the fore, accompanied mostly by Jo's guitar-playing. In "Haze" she lyrically describes the many possible paths and choices to be taken in one's life. Subtle, yet driving percussion is the force that underlines the optimistic words in "Look at How She Flies".