NATURE CHILD – A DREAMER’S JOURNEY
DUE OUT “TWOS-DAY,” 2/22/22
“Listeners will find out how much Sylvia has grown as a vocalist and interpreter over the years … as ‘Nobody’ else can!”
– Chuck Dauphin, Billboard review of Sylvia’s Second Bloom
“One of the best singers in country music.” – Matt Bjorke, Roughstock
NASHVILLE, TN – Grammy-nominated country star and singer/songwriter Sylvia, known for her string of ’80s hits that includes “Nobody,” “Tumbleweed,” and “Drifter,” is set to release Nature Child – A Dreamer’s Journey on “Twos-day,” 2/22/22.
A concept album for children, families, and the dreamer in all of us, Nature Child is a soundtrack to a journey that will inspire young and old alike to pursue their dreams.
“Dreaming our dreams and endeavoring to LIVE them brings us to a deeper knowing of who we are,” says Sylvia. “Our dreams are calling to us even as we are looking for them, and the most effective dreaming is playful and alive! This album was written and recorded with a sense of play and joy. My own dream is that the music will embolden, delight, and encourage listeners of all ages to keep dreaming, despite any challenges they may meet along the way.”
Nature Child represents an important milestone for Sylvia. Having written more and more of her own material in recent years, Sylvia co-wrote all the songs on Nature Child with writers Verlon Thompson, John Mock, Thom Schuyler, and Craig Bickhardt. The album was recorded in Nashville amid the pandemic with Sylvia’s longtime friend, collaborator, and co-producer, John Mock (Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, James Taylor, Nanci Griffith, Maura O’Connell, Kathy Mattea, Mark O’Connor). Every vocal note, including harmonies and choral passages, is a product of Sylvia’s extraordinary singing talents and her legendary ability to bring the listener to the heart of her music
Sylvia’s adult fans will appreciate that Nature Child stands right alongside all her previous recordings in terms of world-class artistry. Beautifully produced, imaginative, and rich in storytelling, the album has a scintillating quality, with every track set, for the most part, in an acoustic timbre. As with any concept album, the sequence of the music is important, yet each song is complete in itself.
Highlights include “Every Time A Train Goes By,” in which an American roots sound with a gentle beat gives a sense of motion to the vividly recounted (and true) story of Sylvia confronting her first fears as a young child. “(Hey, Hey Hey) It’s A New Day” conveys the message that “every day’s a brand-new canvas,” and we have power to paint it as we choose. Here Sylvia displays both the rich lower notes of her vocal range and her astute work as a background harmony singer.
In “Dancing Over An Emerald Isle,” the Emerald Isle is a metaphor for the imagination, a land of endless possibilities. The strings at the beginning of this song set a gentle, plaintive tone that transitions to the haunting modality of a folk music jig, which Sylvia sings in a crisp style that fits the narrative to perfection. With a musical construction that follows the flow of its lyrics, “Nature Child” begins by drifting off into a reverie and then brings listeners joyfully home to nature – and to their true natures, for, as Sylvia notes, “Nature calls to us, protects us, and loves us ‘home at last.’ This is really what the whole album is about.”
Nature Child – A Dreamer’s Journey will be available starting February 22, 2022 at major digital retailers, with physical CDs available through Amazon and Bandcamp.