Let's get the obvious out of the way:
SHeDAISY is a trio of sisters from Magna, Utah.
Their sound is an amalgamation of country with flavors of pop, rock and every other influence imaginable. But first and foremost it’s country.
They have been living in Nashville since 1989. Yes, one sister is a blonde, her name is Kristyn. Kelsi is the fiery red head; and Kassidy has dark brown hair. (That's a lot of "Ks" and a lot of hair colors). They have one other sister whose name is Karli, and two brothers named Cade and Clayton. They are kind of like the "Osmond’s" on steroids. Kelsi has twin daughters, both from different fathers. No, that can't be right. (I am kidding).
Every other fact you may or may not want to know about them can be found on the World Wide Web. "Wikipedia" is a great place to start. No sense for me to ramble on here about things you don't need to know or don't want to know. This is not intended to inundate you with facts and figures about record sales and chart positions and appearances on major networks and awards and performances for Presidents and gigs on aircraft carriers. This bio is about the music. And it's amazing music. It's about the future. It's about the stupendous adventure that is SHeDAISY.
A little known fact about SHeDAISY is that Kristyn has written or co-written all of the music the girls have ever recorded, save for 2 or 3 tracks that were recorded for various other projects. They don't comb through 5,000 songs to find the "cuts" that somebody else may think are "hits.” They have made their own brand of country music, without apology, whether it fits into a single genre or not. They are creators, performers, thinkers, writers and innovators. The "girls", as they are affectionately referred to by their family, friends, and the folks at their record label, Lyric Street Records, are back with their first new album of original music in nearly 4 years, entitled, A Story To Tell.
SHeDAISY makes no bones about straddling traditional country music and a contemporary pop styling and they have often faced fierce criticism for doing so. SHeDAISY would be the first person, well, women to tell you, that they didn't move to Nashville to fit in. They came to carve out their own unique sound and style and to push the edges of what country was and could be. They didn't want to arrive on the scene and do what everybody else was doing. They wanted to find out who they were and what they were. They wanted to uncover their own beautiful noise.
To say that they were ahead of their time with their first release, 1999’s The Whole SHeBANG, is indeed an understatement. They were some of the first to incorporate loops, samples and multi-layered vocal parts into their songwriting and recordings. Ironically, these “pop” techniques can be found on much of the "New Country" music we hear on the airwaves today.
With this new effort, the girls continue to expand into a place country music can certainly dare to go. They have created rich textures that take one on a trip around the "Country," as it were. Organic instrumentation that layers itself over haunting rhythms and grooves all brought home by the trademark SHeDAISY harmonies winding themselves around every note. These harmonies, all arranged by SHeDAISY, are unmistakable. They are beautifully layered and flourish around Kassidy's lead vocal with perfect precision. No one sounds like these girls do. You won't want to skip a song. You'll want to hear the whole story.
A Story To Tell had humble beginnings. Kristyn began developing 4 songs in the studio with Canadian producer/composer Bruce Leitl, and co-writer Jann Arden (that’s me in case you missed that part). Lyric Street liked the demos so much that they gave the trio the go ahead to produce the rest of the record. With Jann and Bruce not being native to Nashville, many of the standard "recording rules" were set aside, laying the foundation for SHeDAISY to return to the sound that brought them success so early on. This enabled the group to focus on just what the songs were meant to be.
With Urban templates that were constructed in Calgary, and the addition of world class drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Melissa Etheridge, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Raitt, Vince Gill, and Conway Twitty....to name just a few), the production team had solid bed tracks in which to begin adding some brilliant Nashville session players.
Multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Yudkin (Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts), pedal steel player Mike Johnson, (Lonestar, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss) and Chris Graffagnino, guitarist in SHeDAISY’s own touring band, provided the production team with the organic textures that really set SHeDAISY's sound apart from anything else they've done.
World-renowned Mixer/Producer/Engineer and 3-time Grammy award winner Ed Cherney, (Bette Midler, Jackson Browne, The Rolling Stones) was brought in to bring the entire project home. And he certainly did that. Mixing out of his studio at the famous "Village Recorders" in Los Angeles gave Cherney the time and freedom to work at his own pace. Finding the thread that wound its way through the entire project was a labor of love for him.
Kristyn has co-written every track on this new album. Whether her subject matter is exploring the loss of a new born baby, an ill-fated relationship, or the zany way in which our lives begin and end. This album takes the listener on a really extraordinary ride. The excitement of true love, infatuation, kindness, truth, hate, happiness, it is all here. Perhaps the most interesting part of the ride is that you'll hear something new with every listen. So many delicate surprises, so many twists and turns. At one moment you can be listening to something painfully beautiful, head in hands, and the next you can be pulsing with raw excitement.
Play it loud. Turn it up. This album is not about a single song, but rather the whole adventure - a sonic journey. A perfect companion for a long road trip, or just a lazy day on the couch. Simply put, it is a record for and about "personal consumption."
The songs are beautifully constructed, the harmonies are haunting, and the adventure is clever, fun, and memorable. It is bold and brave and confident. These girls know who they are and they know who their audience is. If anything, this album is a return to a sound and shape that the girls had launched nearly a decade ago.
A Story To Tell is where the girls pick up the rest of their story.
Biography written by acclaimed artist, songwriter, producer and friend, Jann Arden
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