I'd Rather Go Blonde
Encyclopedia
I’d Rather Go Blonde is the eighth album in a twenty year career that has seen Eleanor McEvoy
establish herself as one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer / songwriters. The album features eleven new songs, nine of which were penned by McEvoy, one which was co-written with former Beautiful South man Dave Rotheray
and, finally, there’s a cover of Good Times by Sam Cooke
.
Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance.
As McEvoy says herself, “I always try to express myself clearly and honestly. I was the odd one, the tubby girl with glasses who had to go to violin lessons after school. The ray of sunlight was the radio with its music. The escape was learning to sing and play instruments and play with others and write and just get out there."
Throughout her career, McEvoy has earned accolades and picked up various awards – not just for her work but also for the super high-end audio approach she has taken on various albums. As well as standard CD format, this album has also been released as a 12 track stereo hybrid SACD
/CD and on vinyl
.
Eleanor McEvoy
Eleanor McEvoy is one of Ireland's most accomplished contemporary singer/songwriters. McEvoy composed the song Only A Woman's Heart, title track of A Woman's Heart, the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.-Biography:...
establish herself as one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer / songwriters. The album features eleven new songs, nine of which were penned by McEvoy, one which was co-written with former Beautiful South man Dave Rotheray
Dave Rotheray
David Rotheray is a British musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for The Beautiful South.Rotheray was born the fifth of five children. His parents were both intellectual and had met through the Young Communist League...
and, finally, there’s a cover of Good Times by Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
.
Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance.
As McEvoy says herself, “I always try to express myself clearly and honestly. I was the odd one, the tubby girl with glasses who had to go to violin lessons after school. The ray of sunlight was the radio with its music. The escape was learning to sing and play instruments and play with others and write and just get out there."
Throughout her career, McEvoy has earned accolades and picked up various awards – not just for her work but also for the super high-end audio approach she has taken on various albums. As well as standard CD format, this album has also been released as a 12 track stereo hybrid SACD
SACD
SACD, founded as Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques on 7 March 1829, is a French collecting society, undertaking collective rights management for authors...
/CD and on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
.
Critical reception
From the Sept. 2010 Maverick Magazine: Absolutely stunning album has really blown me away. Featuring eleven new songs, nine penned by McEvoy and one co write with Beautiful South’s David Rotheray finally a cover of Sam Cooke’s Good Times, this is Eleanor McEvoy’s eighth album spanning a twenty-year career, in which time she has established herself as one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer-songwriters adopting an honest and open approach to writing that often tackles issues many would shy away from....This absolutely stunning album, has been a real find – one of the most compelling female singer-songwriters I’ve heard in a long time. And from Get Ready to ROCK!, Eight albums in, and Eleanor McEvoy has yet to put a foot wrong...of course, it wouldn't be an Eleanor McEvoy album without her wonderfully rich vocals and in that department, I'd Rather Go Blonde doesn't disappoint.Band members
- Ross Turner, born in Dublin, is a drummer with the award winning Irish electronic rock band JapeJape (band)Jape are an Irish electronic–rock band from Dublin. Formed as a side project by Richie Egan whilst part of The Redneck Manifesto, they have released four albums to date; Cosmosphere , The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me , Ritual and Ocean of Frequency...
. He has played with various bands including One Day International and Cathy DaveyCathy DaveyCathy Davey is an Irish singer-songwriter. She has released one extended play, "Come Over" , and three albums, Something Ilk , Tales of Silversleeve and The Nameless...
. He is currently recording under the name I Am The Cosmos.
- Gavin Fox was born in Dublin and is the bass player in Concerto for ConstantineConcerto For ConstantineConcerto for Constantine is an unsigned Irish indie rock band formed in August 2007. The band consists of former JJ72 frontman Mark Greaney , former Turn and Idlewild bassist Gavin Fox and former The Frames and Bell X1 drummer Paul 'Binzer' Brennan .- Formation :In the summer of 2007, Mark and...
. He has also been in the band Vega4, Scottish rock band IdlewildIdlewild (band)Idlewild are a Scottish rock band, formed in Edinburgh, in 1995, comprising Roddy Woomble , Rod Jones , Colin Newton , Allan Stewart and Gareth Russell...
, and Irish indie rock band Turn.
- Dubliner Peter Beckett is one of Ireland’s leading arrangers. For 20 years he has worked in theatre as a musical director while outside the theatre he has worked as a freelance musician playing keyboards and guitar. He co-produced and arranged Love Must Be ToughLove Must Be ToughLove Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
featuring his own The King Street Band and co-produced and arranged Oh Uganda from the album Singled OutSingled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)Singled Out Eleanor McEvoy's is a compilation album of singles taken from McEvoy's four award winning independently-released albums. Three of the albums, Yola, Out There, and Love Must Be Tough, received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.Early Hours was voted Best...
.
- Gerry O’Connor, aka Gerry ‘Banjo’ O’Connor, is a native of Co. Tipperary. Described by the Wall Street Journal as “The best ever banjoist in the history of Irish music”. He has played with Chris ReaChris ReaChris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...
, Damien DempseyDamien DempseyDamien Dempsey is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk with contemporary lyrics to deliver social comment on the positive and negative aspects arising from Ireland's Celtic Tiger society.-Early life:...
and Sharon ShannonSharon ShannonSharon Shannon is an Irish musician. She is best known for her work with the accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 album Sharon Shannon is the best selling album of traditional Irish music ever released there...
amongst others. As well as having three solo albums to his name, he is a member of the popular Irish band Four Men and a DogFour Men and a DogFour Men and a Dog is an Irish traditional band that emerged in 1990 during the Belfast Folk Festival. The band plays Irish traditional music with a mixture of different other genres, including rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, swing, salsa, polka and even rap. They originally had their name because of...
.
- Patrick Burke was a member of the Palestrina Choir for ten years under the direction of Ite O'Donovan. More recently, he was bass player for a number of years with Dublin band Jalopy. Sound engineering credits include The Gospel Project's album On the Outside, which featured a version of McEvoy's song Something So Wonderful.
- Ciarán Byrne became the house engineer in the legendary Windmill Lane studios in Dublin in 1988, working on Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
and the Chieftains Celtic Heartbeat album, U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
’s Rattle & Hum and Achtung BabyAchtung BabyAchtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
. He is much in demand for traditional Irish music working with Cooney and Begley and Liam O’Flynn, and has worked with some of the world’s top producers including Daniel LanoisDaniel LanoisDaniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
, Pat McCarthy and Jimmy IovineJimmy IovineJames "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
. I’d Rather Go Blonde is his fourth collaboration with McEvoy. He is currently co-owner of The Cauldron studios in Dublin
- Ruadhri Cushnan mixed Mumford & SonsMumford & SonsMumford & Sons are a British folk rock band. The band consists of Marcus Mumford , Ben Lovett , Country Winston Marshall , and Ted Dwane...
debut album Sigh No MoreSigh No More (Mumford & Sons album)The album has received mainly positive reviews. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, the album has a score of 68 out of 100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."-Track listing:-Bonus tracks:-Release history:...
which went double platinum in the UK (staying more than 6 months in the top 10 UK album charts). Cushnan has just completed mixing KT TunstallKT TunstallKate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
’s new album Tiger SuitTiger SuitTiger Suit is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released by Relentless Records in Ireland on 24 September 2010, in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2010 and in the United States and Canada on 5 October 2010...
. Cushnan started out as an engineer at Metropolis studios in London, working with QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, BjorkBjörkBjörk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Neneh CherryNeneh CherryNeneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
, All SaintsAll Saints (group)All Saints were a British/Canadian girl group. Founded in 1993 as All Saints 1.9.7.5, the group consisted of founding members Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, and sisters Nicole Appleton and Natalie Appleton...
, Sugar Babes and also worked as George MichaelGeorge MichaelGeorge Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
’s producer for a number of years.