Chris Conway CD - Songs for Dreamers

Chris Conway - Songs for Dreamers

1	Finally
2	Gather Me
3	Above My Head
4	Time Will Tell
5	Solstice Circle
6	Don't Turn Away
7	Damned
8	Flying
9	Life Road
10	Leaves
11	Dreamcatcher
12	Sunrise

Chris Conway -	vocals, keyboards, acoustic & electric 9 string & nylon string guitars, tin & low Irish whistles, kalimba, theremin, zither, bodhran, samples, loops, programming, handclaps, percussion
Neil Segrott -	bass - 1, 3, 6, 11
Zorpinda Zorpin -	percussion, keyboards, handclaps - 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11
Dan Britton -	bodhran, percussion - 2, 5
Bridget McMahon -	vocals, violin, handclaps – 9, 11
Kym -	vocals - 3, 6
Jodi Krangle –	vocals - 4
Chloe Singer -	vocals - 5
Georgina Sear -	vocals - 12

A collection of dream songs for dreamers.
Big harmonies and Celtic music go side by side, with jazz and world music touches all with CCs wonderful voice.

"A gorgeous new collection of songs. It’s typically mellow, upbeat and positive - bask in its summer warmth." - RocknReel Magazine

background
Songs for Dreamers has a touch of the US West Coast with a halo of vocal harmonies and the jangle of 9 string guitars. Add to that some Celtic roots with some Irish whistles & flutes, a hint of world music with zithers, kalimba, some jazz piano, and even a little theremin.

Chris Conway's 8th solo studio songs album features, as well as his usual West Coast harmonies (reminiscent of Crosby Stills & Nash) a stronger Celtic element - 3 songs have definite Celtic roots - perhaps due to his increasing work with Irish band Govannen. There are also some world music touches, a straight jazz ballad (Damned) and a bossa (Time Will Tell). But it's all obviously Chris Conway at work - the multi-instrumental wizardry, the detailed layered production and that soulful voice.

Dreams
Dreams have played quite a regular part in Chris's songwriting in the past and that is acknowledged here. Some songs came about through a dream. As Chris explains, "One song (Above My Head) came to me from waking at 4am, I grabbed a pad hey presto - it was written. I wish all songs came that easily." He also went for quite a dreamy atmosphere with the halo of lush vocal harmonies one of the threads that weave through the album.

Lost songs.
Songs for Dreamers is also an album of lost songs (or secret songs!!) Some of CCs songs have been sung by other artists and he was keen to sing his own versions of them. Some songs he had up his sleeve for years but they'd never found a home. As Chris says, "Writing Time Will Tell with Toronto singer Jodi Krangle began 8 years ago - we went back to it every few years and were quite happy with it, then when working on this album I tired a bossa rhythm and it all fell into place. I'm so glad we nailed it and got to record the song together". To these Chris added some new songs including a touching song (Flying) in memory of his mother who recently passed away.

Old songs and new, old dreams and new were woven it all together to make what may be one of his most popular albums.

influences
Brian Wilson, Donal Lunny, The Free Design, John Sebastian, Alan Stivell, David Crosby, Jesse Colin Young, Richie Havens, Marcos Valle, John Phillips, The Association, Marty Balin

trivia
Flying is dedicated to the memory of CCs mother.

A couple of songs appeared in different forms on other albums CC produced. Above My Head is on Kyms A Womans Journey album (as Angel Voices) and Life Road is on Bridget McMahon's Celtic Woman album (as Walk With Me).

Sunrise started out as an instrumental on CCs River of Life album as Spirit of the River

Damned was written on piano ina lounge on a ferry from Harwich to Hook van Holland.

Time Will Tell was written with Jodi Krangle - they knocked the song back and forth across the web for 8 years before it found it;s final form.

Some of Bridget's McMahons whispering on Dreamcatcher found it's way into it;s own little piece on her Celtic Woman album as I Could Hear Your Voice

CC's fave track -Flying

track by track
	1. Finally A mellow upbeat love song for those who find love later in life. The music was written around the time of my Close The Circle album but the words only came much later. When I first recorded it it came out like a bad 80s pop track - so I got more hippy West Coast and added the Celtic hornpipe on the Irish whistles.
	2. Gather Me Gather Me came out of a dream I had about a kind of protective blanket that kind of supported you in all that you do. Musically it has some connections to my Summining the Spirit album I made with Will Pimlett.
	3. Above My Head This ballad was originally written for singer Kym - she had an experience with angels in a scary moment in a bar. This song came to me upon waking at 4 in the morning - just had to grab a pad and jot it down - I wish all songs came to me so easily.
	4. Time Will Tell This song was written with my friend singer Jodi Krangle. We started writing it 8 years ago after we had written Wherever on my Earth Rising album. We couldn't find a version we liked so picked it up every few years, tried a folk version, a jazz version, til after finishing my Chocolate Bossa album I tried a bossa version - at last it sees the light of day.
	5. Solstice Circle A Celtic pagan inspired song with a nod to Alan Stivell. It is an idealised memory of being at Stonehenge on summer solstice sunrise and the feeling of community there. Of course in reality Hawkwind rock band struck up in the next field and we were all a bit tired but I like to thin of it this way.
	6. Don't Turn Away This was written for singer Kym but she took the structure and added her own melody and words for a song on her album. I fancied recording my own version. It's about the importance of communication.
	7. Damned I wrote this song on a white grand piano on the ferry from England to Holland on the way to a German tour. I've been singing this jazz ballad for a while. I;m glad it found a home here.
	8. Flying This is about my mother who died the previous year. Her last couple of years were hard and that runs through the song I think.
	9. Life Road Written for my friend and former Govannen bandmate Bridget McMahon about her love of family and music. She recorded a version on her album.
	10. Leaves When I was a kid we played a game in autumn - if you caught a leaf , you got a lucky day next year. Recently, when I was walking across a carpark wrapped in thoughts, a leave flew over my head - I made an instictive jump for it. Passers by looked at me a little oddly but I noticed mood had lifted.
	11. Dreamcatcher This started out as a track for Bridet McMahons album - but I got kind of carried away and it became a bit of a musical playground for me. Hence the theremin and the jig in 5/8.
	12. Sunrise The theme of this song came from a track on my River of Life album. I just had to set words to it, reflecting new beginnings and a glow on the horizon.

reviews
Holding Together Magazine	This record is, I believe, Chris Conway's ninth solo outing, following on from "Close the Circle" (which was well received in HT#40). If you are already familiar with Christo's work then you can anticipate that this is an album of warm gentle shimmering music drenched in West Coast harmony work reminiscent of CSN - and you'd be right. Chris wrote all 12 songs in this loosely themed collection (the theme being dreams). He sang them and played most of the instruments himself (including acoustic and electric guitars, kalimba, keyboards, theremin, whistles and zither), layering the sound and vocals at his home studio in Leicester and in Toronto. A little bit of folk., occasionally jazzy but with soem Gaelic and world music touches, Chris was supported principally by Neil Segrott's bass guitar on four numbers, Zorpinda Zorpin's percussion on six of the cuts and musical partner Dan Britton's bodhran on two. In fact, the Gaelic influences (found on "Gather Me", Solstice Circle", "Life Road") probably stem from Conway's involvement with Briton in the Gaelic band Govannen (who have a new album of their own "Spirits of the Forest" out on Paradise Music). "Songs for Dreamers" is an impeccable recording. The musicianship is dextrous and inventive, the vocals are rich and soulful for all their laid back style and this is a really lovely relaxing album. Highlights for me are the sprung bossa ballad "Time Will Tell" ("one wa sfor you to love me, two was to forget you, and three was for the passage of time" - I can actually imaginge Marty Balin singing this one), the celtic-tinged "Life Road" ("wont you walk with me a while"), the jazzy dilemma "Damned" ("damned if I donlt and damned if I do"), the affirmative "Finally" ("I believe in love...finally") which actually opens the album and the wordless, ethereal vocals and spell-binding pipe playing of "Dreamcatcher". It is beautiful music and it deserves to be heard.
Rock n Reel Magazine	CHRIS CONWAY - Songs For Dreamers (OBLONG MUSIC) www.chrisconway.org *** Albums from this Leicester-based singer-songwriter seem to come along like the seasons. I’m beginning to lose count now, for songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Conway certainly likes to keep things interesting. There he was on the pages of Word magazine alongside fellow theremin enthusiasts; there he is, performing with his Celtic band, Govannen; elsewhere, a solo concert or two, some studio production work, his experimental electronic group, a little New Age noodling and, if this is Saturday … well, maybe time for some jazz piano. The man is indefatigable. Songs For Dreamers is Conway’s gorgeous new collection of songs. It’s typically mellow, upbeat and positive. Indeed, he’s an even happier man these days, if opening track ‘Finally’ is anything to go by: ‘I believe in love … finally’, he declares. Throughout, Conway sings, plays, arranges and produces his own distillation of platinum-brand West Coast-style pop-rock. An American long since relocated to the UK, he also infuses his work with the various influences he’s absorbed here in Blighty, so there’s an element of traditional folk and Celtic music in the mix, for example, reflecting Conway’s successful assimilation into our own culture. There’s also an abundance of ‘good vibes’ sunshine sounds, a little light jazz and the usual Conway humour (’Damned’). Listen to Songs For Dreamers and bask in its summer warmth.** Dave White

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lyrics - all lyrics ©2008 Chris Conway
1. Finally I had lost the dream inside. I had not the eyes to see. Now a star is in the sky tonight, And a heart is calling me. (chorus) Now I believe in love. I believe in love. Now I believe in love, Finally. Theres a dark electricity, There's a spark loose in the air. Does it take half a century, Not to break your heart to care? (chorus) (bridge) Gone are the nights of silent running, And the years spent living in the past. Now it's time to let the sun in, Coz I've been saving the best til last. There's a voice fighting to be heard, In the noise of day to day, And the sound of a magic word, Now has found me here to stay. (chorus) Now I believe in love, Finally. Now I believe in love, Finally. Finally Finally CC - vocals, acoustic & electric 9 string guitars, keyboards, tin whistles, percussion Neil Segrott - bass 2. Gather Me Sail on til midnight, Tomorrow's hindsight. Gather me round you, Feel my spirit flow into your heart. We'll never part, Inside your heart, It's just a start. (chorus) Each step of the way - I'll be beside you, Each hour of the day - I smile upon you, Each step of the way - I'll be beside you, Each hour of the day - I smile upon you. When you fall when you fall - I'll lift you up and, Every wall, every wall - I'm climbing with you, When you fall, when you fall - I'll lift you up and, Every wall, every wall - We're climbing to the sky. Question the answers, Seize all your chances, Gather me round you. Feel my spirit flow into your mind, Let it unwind, Inside your mind, See what you'll find. (chorus) Live every minute, Seize what's within it, Gather me round you, Feel my spirit flow into your soul. To reach your goal, Inside your soul, We'll make you whole. Each step of the way, each hour of the day. Each step of the way, each hour of the day I'll lift you up, I'm climbing with you, I'll lift you up. We're climbing to the sky. Climb to the sky and, Open your eyes and, Gather me round you, Feel your life flow back into your hands, Like grains of sand, Into your hands, You understand. (chorus), (chorus) Gather me round you. CC - vocals, keyboards, acoustic & electric 9 string & low Irish whistle, kalimba, theremin, samples, loops, programming, percussion Dan Britton - bodhran, percussion 3. Above My Head Some might say I am deluded Some might think me insincere But I know just what I know and What I hear is what I hear chorus Above my head In my heart Angel voices call to me Above my head In my heart Angel voices comfort me I remember smiling faces And how they turned from joy to fear How a sound came from the darkness Far away but crystal clear chorus Ther e are days when life feels empty When the journey seems too long Then inside a golden whisper Fills my soul and sings my song chorus CC - vocals, piano, electric 9 string guitar, synthesizer, drum programming Kym - vocals Neil Segrott - bass Zorpinda Zorpin - synthesizer 4. Time Will Tell Time will tell Time keeps no secrets Tells no lies Turns all stonesIf I knew then What I know now I would have left you On your own chorus One smile makes two Two lies make twenty Three wishes I made in a line One was for you to love me Two was to forget you And three Was for the passage of time "Don't get too close Keep your distance" My defences Tried to say But with spider eyes The spell is woven And maybe I'll never Get away chorus Did I miss a turning back down the road? Were there warning signs pointing to today? I ignored the voices, I could not be told When they said it would And that time would tell We planted deep In wishful thinking And in fear Of being alone Time heeds well The passing of moments And we will reap What they have sown. chorus CC - vocals, acoustic 9 string & nylon string guitars, keyboards, percussion Jodi Krangle - vocals	5. Solstice Circle We shall see the stones at solstice At the rising of the sun We will link to the love And the spirit of everyone in the world We will dance dance til morning Til we're back where we've begun We will look to the left hand And our friends toward the right We will trust in the Earth And the stars that shine at night from the sky We will know who we are Beneath the early dawning light Come away to the circle Stay with me til the morning Come away to the circle Til the break of dawn Well we don't know just where we're going But we do know where we're from But the spring it has come And the winter is on the run like a wolf When we gather here at solstice We know where our hearts belong Come away to the circle Stay with me til the morning Come away to the circle Til the break of dawn CC - vocals, tin & low Irish whistles, zither, keyboards, samples, percussion Chloe Singer - vocals Zorpinda Zorpin - percussion Dan Britton - bodhran, percussion 6. Don't Turn Away Don't turn away from me Everything that you can see We built together So don't bring it down around us Don't turn away from me This is no way to be We're lost in the darkness So turn on the light Don't let the sky fall down Til some answers can be found Don't let the sun go down While we still hurt Don't turn away from me Everything that we can be Is just around the corner So talk to me now You know I can read your face I know that you need your space I know we can't fix everything today But if we start to talk we'll find away I wont turn away from you There's so much that we can do So step back from the edge The hardest step is always the first one I wont turn away from you Together we will see it through So take my hand in yours The hard part is done Don't let the sky fall down Til some answers can be found Don't let the sun go down While we still hurt Don't turn away from us Or what will become of us There's a path out of the forest So talk to me now Have I told you I wanted you Have I told you I needed you Never has a day gone by when I Haven't looked at you and felt a sigh Don't turn away Talk with me now Don't turn away from me Don't let the sky fall down CC - vocals, acoustic & electric 9 string guitars, keyboards, tin whistle, percussion Kym - vocals Neil Segrott - bass 7. Damned My friends all tell me And maybe it's true I spend too much time And money on you But depending on the weather And on your point of view I'm damned if I don't And damned if I do I'm feeling kind of heady My brain's in a stew I turn to the clouds They haven't a clue I don't know what I'm seeing But I'm seeing it through, coz I'm damned if I don't And damned if I do Gardens of Eden To the left and to the right Just out of reach But not out of sight And I'm afraid that the jury Has retired for the night So I'm damned if I'm wrong And damned if I'm right So decisions, decisions What shall I do? There's a fork in the river There's a choice of two But rather than dither I think I'll stick along with you Cos I'm damned if I don't And damned if I do Damned if I don't And damned if I do if I do. CC - vocals, piano, synthesizer, bass Zorpinda Zorpin - percussion	8. Flying Through so many years, Your worries and fears I watched you, I watched you, Waving goodbye. Signals grew weak with time And growing distance. Persistence. We never stopped trying And I listen, And I learn And I wonder Paintings line the walls From every chapter, and capture With artists eyes A shop in Venice selling masks To strangers, whose faces They need to disguise And I listen, And I learn And I wonder Oh how she loved the country A last walk between the trees and the sky Captured like a photograph We could be flying Through monochrome screens And movie screens The Lady Vanishes, the Spanish Lessons once more Empty halls and telephone calls Til one day, one day You found the door And I listen, And I learn And I listen, And I learn And I wonder We could be flying CC - vocals, acoustic & electric 9 string guitar, keyboards Zorpinda Zorpin - percussion 9. Life Road When I was still just a child at play Wont you walk with me a mile or two? I'd sing and sing through the live long day Wont you walk with me a while? I met a lass that I liked so well Wont you walk with me a mile or two? She sang to me and she cast her spell Wont you walk with me a while? Well she made me laugh and she made me sigh And I never thought to reason why The moon had risen up in the sky Wont you walk with me a while? Two children came along by and by Wont you walk with me a mile or two? And we'd sing together and laugh and cry Wont you walk with me a while? A beautiful girl and a bonnie wee boy Wont you walk with me a mile or two? They gave me love and brought me joy Wont you walk with me a while? Though each one grew up bright and strong After twenty years they were up and gone But each had found their own true song Wont you walk with me a while? The years have flown and I'm singing still Wont you walk with me a mile or two? Of Carrickfergus and Spancil Hill Wont you walk with me a while? When music calls me I have no choice Wont you walk with me a mile or two? The spirit moves me and fires my voice Wont you walk with me a while? Songs and family fill my heart And I'll never see them torn apart Til I find myself back at the start Wont you walk with me a while? So we come to the journeys end Wont you walk with me a mile or two? I know you've always been my friend Wont you walk with me a while? We've come so far across this land And there's still so much to understand So if you'll kindly take my hand Wont you walk with me a while? CC - vocals, keyboards, tin & low whistles, kalimba, bodhran, percussion, handclaps, drum programming Bridget McMahon - vocals, handclaps Zorpinda Zorpin - percussion, handclaps 10. Leaves When I was a child I watched the leaves in autumn And saved them when I caught them In a book so old and grey Each leaf was a smile A secret, sacred treasure A reminder of the pleasure Of a simple carefree day New days soon come by That bring with them new distractions Persuasive attractions Seem to beckon from the shelves We all now know All that glitters is not gold But we're too clever to be told And have to find out for ourselves And the years flew by And the years flew by And the years flew by Until today. When out walking in the wind A leaf blew over my head A little voice inside me said It must be caught before it lands I jumped for it glee And to my great surprise I rediscovered things so wise Only a child would understand CC - vocals, nylon string guitar, synthesizer, birdsong samples 11. Dreamcatcher ..and then you disappeared. CC - vocals, synthesizer, tin & low Irish whsitles, theremin, kalimba, electric 9 string guitar, percussion Bridget McMahon - vocals, violin Neil Segrott - fretless bass Zorpinda Zorpin - percussion 12. Sunrise In the night when the skies are falling And the light in the fire is calling I can see a reflection in your eyes Then I realise The sun is rising Though the storm in my head is blowing There's a warmth in my heart that's growing There's a balance between the world and my mind There for me to find The sun is rising When the last of the wars have ended And with our past on the shore befriended With a wing and a prayer and a song Though it took so long The sun is rising See the sunrise The night is over See the new day dawning CC - vocals, kayboards, low Irish whistle, acoustic 9 string guitar, kalimba, samples, percussion Georgina Sear - vocals

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