Following the recent release of the strong and spirited anthem ‘Firewalker’ as a single, soulful country songstress Shannon LaBrie has released ‘Raining Hallelujah’ as its follow-up. Both songs are included on her forthcoming new album, ‘Building’. Produced by multi-Grammy Award winners Brent Maher and Charles Yingling, the record is her first full-length effort since 2016’s ‘War & Peace’, which earned LaBrie both critical acclaim and respect from her peers.
The seven song set was written throughout 2019 yet each track is even more relevant now when considering the state our world is currently in. ‘Building’ offers its listeners a journey to self-discovery and reflection with songs about finding strength in pain, spiritual guidance and words turning to bullets in the timely song ‘The Things We Say’, as LaBrie sings “The things we say, it’s the weapon of the age.” Her voice floats delicately over solo piano, leaving no room for distraction and making her message perfectly clear. She also offers hope in songs such as ‘Raining Hallelujah’, while creating a sense of calm in ‘Angels Fall’ via the use of a central guitar riff fluttering throughout as the song continues to build: “Angels fall from the sky, every so often I feel the wind from a pair of wings, pushing me to better things.”
As the world continues to navigate its way through the ever-changing tide of 2020, the record’s title song reminds listeners that life itself is a building process, with each experience acting as a constituent part to the next. “I can’t think of a better word to describe this thing we call ‘life’ than the word ‘building’,” says LaBrie, who recalls a heart-wrenching moment the morning after a tornado ripped through her Nashville neighbourhood in March 2020, wreaking disaster. “I will never forget the morning after. As a friend and I were helping clear out debris, I looked over to see a couple embracing in the street in front of their house, which no longer had doors, walls, or a roof. It was completely destroyed. They were holding each other so tight, and that image has been imprinted in my memory as a reminder that our lives are built and held together not by nails, hammers and wood, but with love and compassion. I will always think of that couple when I sing this song.”
‘Building’ concludes with a rendition of Tom Petty’s ‘It’s Good To Be King’, LaBrie utilising her sultry voice to bring additional light and perspective to a song about the grandiosity of youth and how our hopes and dreams change as we mature.
BUILDING
TRACKLISTING
1 Firewalker
2 Raining Hallelujah
3 Angels Fall
4 The Things We Say
5 Building
6 One In A Billion
7 It’s Good To Be King
“As if Norah Jones and the late Jeff Buckley had started a band. Her songs unfold with style and subtlety via LaBrie’s gorgeous voice”
ROLLING STONE
“A voice that breathes smoke and soul”
WASHINGTON POST
“She’s part Tom Petty, part folk goddess, with Dylanesque lyrics”
CMT
Shannon LaBrie is a Nashville based singer-songwriter who brings life to insightful stories of a woman who remains true to herself in a life where only uncertainty is certain. She grew up on a farm near Lincoln, Nebraska and attributes her career start to her father, who died when she was just thirteen. “He taught me my first guitar chords and the basic structure of a song. When he passed away, songwriting became my way of grieving and dealing with the pain.” A fearless singer, guitarist and pianist, her music fuses a unique blend of Americana and Soul, while her emotionally-charged lyrics give a voice to the love and loss that she has experienced in her life thus far.
LaBrie’s powerful 2016 album ‘War & Peace’ was acclaimed by the likes of Rolling Stone, CMT and Paste magazine, subsequently achieving Top Ten placings on iTunes, Spotify Viral charts and Triple A Radio in the US. She has also performed more than 500 shows across the US, sharing stages with artists ranging from Valerie June and ZZ Ward to Gabe Dixon and Robert Randolph.
The LaBrie penned ‘She Got Soul’ was recorded by Robert Randolph and the Family Band for their Grammy-nominated 2017 album ‘Got Soul’, and her ‘Just Do It’ by Lily & Madeleine for 2019’s ‘Canterbury Girls’. Her own recordings have been streamed more than 12 million times on Spotify and Apple Music alone.
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