Titling my journal entries with song titles or lyrics never gets old - at least not to me. :o) So, where to begin… It seems that 2012 truly is the moment: Wednesday, May 9, 2012, 7pm, to be exact. This is when I began the unbelievable adventure of recording my first, full-length, original-song album!! Excitement doesn’t even begin to cover it – so many emotions flooded through me as I drove to the studio for the first session – giddy excitement was present, to be sure, but tempered with anxiety and the ever-present creative insecurity. Am I ready? How could I not be ready? But is my stuff any good? But I knew that it was – I believed in it enough to continue working at this day by day, year by year…or am I just crazy? Well, I guess all of us artists are a little crazy…so I guess that’s beside the point. Breathe in; breathe out – and let go. Trust the process - trust that you have some idea of what you’re doing and just let it happen…
Such a scary thought in so many ways, but such a relief to let go and let these songs take flight!! Somehow through God’s grace, everything has lined up, and the time is now! With all of the struggles, disappointments, and joys that have led to this coming together, it was so fitting that, as I drove into a breathtaking sunset toward the studio, Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “All Things New” came on! It brought tears to my eyes to feel that things which seemed so far off and long delayed – things hoped for and not seen - were finally happening. Moments like that don’t come around all that often, and I will never forget it.
So far it’s been more than I had hoped for! Doesn’t God do that? Sometimes He blesses us with more than we even knew to ask for. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the road is easy by any means, but to see fruit from many years of labor is a blessed thing. What a daunting mountain this is to climb, but, man, the view from the climb is incredible! I can’t wait until we reach the top and can look back on the entire process in thanksgiving; although, I have to say, I’m thoroughly enjoying every note and rhythm we’re getting to create and savoring each musical moment. I’m already so thankful for the many pieces of this immense puzzle that have already come together! It’s pretty amazing!
Okay, so enough of my gushing and on to some details… :o) I’m delighted to have the very talented Jim Wirt (who has produced the likes of Hoobastank, Fiona Apple, Jack’s Mannequin, etc.) with me at the helm of this project. He and I are having a blast working on these songs, and it’s been a pleasure to bring in so many of my talented friends to work with Jim. Their contribution to this project is beyond measure, and I’m extremely grateful! (Okay, so I’m gushing again… lol Back to the facts…)
I’ve had the privilege of having some of the most incredible talent in the area participate in this project. These great musicians play for the likes of the Cleveland Orchestra & Pops Orchestras, some of the best jazz & rock bands in town; and a few are national, chart-ranking solo musicians and veteran session players. Amidst great company, besides having written all of the songs myself (including three co-written songs), and, of course, singing on them, I’m also getting to play piano on four of the tracks, which is so neat!
You can check out photos from the recording sessions here as we go along. It’s easiest to update my Facebook album while I’m in and out of the studio. So, while I’ll have a link to the photos on the site, I will be posting them as I get a few minutes here and there to Facebook. I’ll do my best to keep you up-to-date in my News Feed posts about things going on - just make sure you ‘like’ my page while you’re there!
Okay, that’s all for now, folks! With a song in my heart… ~Tara