Right from the start of the project it was clear to me that the introductory song would be America by Paul Simon. I also knew how it should sound; Rabea Bollmann (RABEA) with her cello was essential. In Atlanta, I experienced my first open mic/open stage night. Lady of the Open Stage is my reminiscence of all the unknown artists, but also of the clubs that make such evenings possible. For support on the sax, Hartmut Brandt. When I think of Grandma, I picture the farm in that little town in Kentucky that was the center of the universe for me as a toddler. The really big boys from the village disappeared at some point, some came back ... Kentucky memories. The keys were taken over by my daughter Nele Smollich. No, of course I wasn't on the first major Oregon track in 1843. It was all the more exciting for me to describe the events through the eyes of a young girl. The wonderful Katja Arff brought the protagonist to life with her voice. Thanks! Lady Loneliness was born at one of those "open mic nights" in Atlanta and that same night we recorded the song in a friend's studio... completely analogue and without frills. Well, bad devil alcohol... from Missoula/Montana to Spokane/Washington; from there with the Greyhound "down south" to the Mexican border to El Paso. What a ride… A decent honky-tonk piano was needed for this ballad… Ecki Hüdepohl (ITs ME) staged my idea brilliantly. Walking with you and New dawn belong to Washington DC and Georgtown and Adams Morgan respectively... little love songs, strong memories of a great time. Hartmut Brandt describes the beautiful mood of the DC Nights with his sax. When you think of America, you can't ignore NYC. Through different time levels, which of course reveal the fiction of the song, I try to let the listener experience certain moods of this great city. Katja Arff lent her excellent backings and you can feel the blues of New York City through Hartmut Brandt's sax. For me, Patti Smith is one of America's great artists, both in words and music. Again, it was clear to me very early on that I wanted to end the album with People have the power. Thanks to Hartmut Brandt for the support with this song as well.
01 America
02 Lady of the Open stage
03 Kentucky memories
04 Oregon
05 Lady Loneliness
06 Ever been to Missoula?
07 Walking with you
08 New dawn
09NYC
10 People have the power
