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Spotlights [Issue
#
9 ]
Angela McCluskey:
A Wee Bit Of Soul
By
Peter Vouras
Imagine what the
world would be like without Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne,
and their ilk that pervade the airwaves with disposable pabulum. Imagine a world
where music matters; where songs are written and sung with passion and meaning
without the almighty dollar or some big fat exec factoring in. Enter Angela
McCluskey, whose debut album, The Things We Do, breaks the mold. Angela
sings with a sincerity and trueness that comes from living a real life full
of pain, heartache, happiness, and redemption.
Calling from Paris
where she is recording new songs with Telepopmusic (she sang and co-wrote the
smash hit “Breathe”), I asked her why she waited so long to record
as solo artist; “Well, I was in a band [The Wild Colonials] so I didn’t
have the time. You finish recording your album, you tour, and you start writing
another record.” Reared on Marvin Gaye and Al Green in the industrial city
of Glasgow, Angela learned to sing at a very early age, “I used to sing
so I could stay up late. I’d do ‘Summertime’ or something and
then my family would throw me back in bed.”
The Things We Do was recorded with producer Nathan Larson in Sweden and
New York. The majority of the music was done in four days (the only days she
had off from recording with Telepopmusic). “We recorded from eight in the
morning to three in the morning,” Angela comments. “When we finished
it we went to see if a label was interested thinking that we have to re-record
everything. Manhattan Records offered us a deal and basically said ‘We
love what you’ve done already. Don’t touch a thing.’ We were
flabbergasted. We just added strings, horns, and real drums and that was it.”
Choice selections are: “It’s Been Done” with its downbeat, groovy
feel, the piano driven ballad “Long Live I,” written right after 9/11
sung for the ghosts and dust, and “Sucker,” a guitar ballad about
the pangs of a relationship.
Angela McCluskey has the drive and determination to become a major force in
today’s music scene. It’s refreshing to see real talent given a chance
to succeed.
The Things We Do
Manhattan
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