Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - Pigs Might Fly

  by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 3 / 7 / 2023

intro

Nick Dent-Robinson previews Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham's forthcoming new album, 'Pigs Might Fly', which will be released in September.

Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham will be releasing their fifth joint studio album, ‘Pigs Might Fly’ in September. Fans will be thrilled to hear that the new record is another wonderful tapestry of pop, rock, prog, world and acoustic styles, sometimes featuring Doris's signature celtic whistle (or, more correctly, flageolet)! There is lots of hard-hitting rock - but every track is a masterclass of song-writing and skilful arrangements! As before, the new release includes input from Sam White on drums, Jacob Stoney on keyboards and Ewan McIntosh on bass plus production and mixing by Lee Dunham with mastering by John Mitchell. The attractive album cover artwork id by Doris Brendel and Ian Foxon. Of course, Doris Brendel is one of the most accomplished and exciting live singers in UK music, famous for her outlandish steam-punk costumes, laser gloves plus first-class musicianship and writing! She has recorded eighteen albums and undertaken a vast catalogue of session work over the years. Her distinctive vocals were the driving force behind 1990s alt-rockers The Violet Hour when they recorded their revered classic album ‘The Fire Sermon’ in 1991 and Doris has frequently worked with some of the most respected names in music – including Alvin Lee, Nils Lofgren, Steve Marriott, Joe and Sam Brown, Marillion, Herbie Flowers, John Farnham and Gary Moore. She was also offered the chance to sing with Pink Floyd on their ‘Great Gig In The Sky’ tour but had to decline because of prior commitments. Like her good friend Sam Brown, Doris has always had a wonderfully powerful vocal delivery plus a gift for creating truly original and memorable songs - and she is highly regarded by rock royalty. All these qualities are used to great effect on ‘Pigs Might Fly’! The album gets off to a powerful and dramatic start with the title track - a real cacophony of fine musicianship - but more subtle tracks follow. ‘Fight Fire with Fire’ is more subtle with some nice key changes and ‘Good Deed of the Day’ is a delightful song featuring a strong bass-led rhythm and attractive guitar work which together complement Doris's vocals perfectly. ‘Ghost’ is in three time and another bass-led number whilst ‘Rorschach’ is one of the most appealing songs on the album with beautiful vocals by Doris. ‘Still Waters’ is yet another gem with a gentle piano introduction, another powerful bass line and some haunting guitar work plus perfect vocals from Doris. The closing track, ‘White Rose’, is in three time and has a subtle celtic feel, featuring Doris's flageolet. The song has real power and Doris's fine vocal delivery is matched perfectly by bass, percussion and guitars....a great finale for this excellent album. As usual with Doris Brendel's recordings, musical arrangements, instrumentation and production values (by Lee Dunham) are superb throughout - and, on its release early this Autumn, ‘Pigs Might Fly’ is sure to appeal on many levels to a wide range of music lovers.

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