Music
EP Cover
The following is an explanation of the songs on my new EP.
Don’t Walk Away:
This is a song that is very close to my heart. I wrote this with a good friend of mine, Lauren Shield, a couple of years ago at the Gympie Muster as we were so inspired to write a song after seeing all the fantastic artists. We were each missing a loved one back at home so we sat down and started pouring out all our feelings about what it would be like if these people weren't in our lives anymore. This is a song that anyone can relate too as everyone has at least one special person in their life that they can’t imagine living without, whether it be a family member, a friend or even a pet. I am fortunate enough to have a few of these people in my life, one in particular being my late Grandfather, Bill Spencer. Grandad was always asking me to sing for him whenever I saw him (which was on a regular basis) and was the one who really introduced me to country music. This is why I like to dedicate this song to him whenever I perform it live.
Baby Baby:
When I want to write a song I usually have to sit down and really think about how I’m feeling. This song was totally different and just popped into my head after I had been talking to a friend of mine. She had really hurt someone that she loved and was going to have to apologise for her actions. I intended for it to be an upbeat song, but when I took it into the studio, it turned into more then even I expected. This song has a distinctive country feel with a western swing feel, which has led to many fans commenting that the song dances around in their heads for hours afterwards and they can't help but tap their feet.
Close to Crazy:
At the time of this song I had just had my heart broken. I had been head over heels in love with a guy who I thought felt the same way, only to find out that he didn’t. Everyone handles rejection differently, some girls will sit down and cry while eating an entire tub of ice-cream or a block of chocolate. Some will hit the town with her friends to try and find a “replacement”, while others might drive past the guys house after dark just to see if he’s home. Me, I write a song about it. A fellow musician friend once told me "songwriting is the best form of therapy", so with tears running down my face and the thoughts of “why aren’t I good enough for him” running through my head, so too were the lyrics to Close to Crazy. I sat on these lyrics for some time and it wasn’t until I was preparing for the EP, that Randal spotted this song and re-arranged the melody for it, helping to make it the power ballad it is today.
Unlucky In Love:
This is the first single off the EP and is always a well received song at my live shows. I wrote this with David and Merelyn Carter of Carter & Carter fame one night when they were up in Brisbane. We got together with a block of chocolate and guitars and they helped me finish this song. I have never been extremely lucky at picking the “right” guy when it comes to relationships yet all my friends seem to have no problem at all. Most of them are in long term relationships and I always feel like the third wheel and walk away wondering when will my bloke turn up and share my journey in life. It’s a bit of a tongue in check song about how I’m always the bridesmaid but never ever the bride, and how things just never seem to fall into place for me. Hopefully, my luck will change soon!
Stop!:
When I was preparing for the EP I wanted to do a cover that music lovers could relate to and know, rather than having an entire set of original songs. I had been going through all my CD’s just trying to find the “right song” when my Dad suggested I listen to this particular song. I remember his words vividly “It’s a great song Jac, not many people have done it and it’s one of my favourites!” I listened to the song and not that I like to admit this often, but Dad was right! Sam Brown's original version is very powerful and moving, I did not want to just record her song, I wanted to put my own interpretation out there. So when I told the producers that I wanted to do this, they suggested that the song be recorded using a Fender Rhodes to create a more haunting sound. The lyrics of the song really struck me and I emersed myself into what I would feel like if the man I loved so deeply was cheating on me and the emotive and haunting delivery that came out is what you hear on the recording. I could feel the pain and humiliation welling up inside me when I was in the recording booth laying the vocal track. I hope you enjoy my version!