TRACY McNeil is a country-styled singer-songwriter with a healthy respect and some justifiable comparisons to the likes of Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch.
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The Melbourne resident and Canadian songstress has just followed up the excellent Nobody Ever Leaves from a few years ago with a stunning new work, her fourth, Thieves.
Her latest release has some wonderful guitar via her band The GoodLife, featuring husband Luke Sinclair from Raised by Eagles and some superb production by Shane O’Mara, where the band took over his home, recording large chunks of the album live.
The first single Paradise has received some comparisons to mid 70s Fleetwood Mac – searing Lindsey Buckingham style guitar solo and all.
Last year was a monumental one for McNeil, on both the personal and professional fronts. The highlights, including touring solo throughout Ontario in her native Canada, supporting American rock band Dawes back in Melbourne and performing with her band The GoodLife at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville, were all overshadowed by the heartbreaking loss of her father Wayne “Mac” McNeil.
A travelling country-rock musician in the late 1970s, McNeil’s father had provided her with both inspiration and a deep connection to music. Unsurprisingly, McNeil found her solace in song, and through some very cathartic and productive writing sessions, Thieves was born.
“I always wanted to work with Shane - he just knows how to capture the best sounds and he’s such a fun guy to work with so when it came time to decide on an engineer and co-producer it was an easy decision,” she said.
“Thieves is a real band record – I might have written the songs but in the studio everyone contributes to the overall sound and this comes through on the record. We did every bed track live and some songs completely live which also help to harness the energy we have when we play together on stage.”
McNeil will perform at Old Hepburn Hotel on July 31. For more details, visit www.oldhepburnhotel.com.au