"Leave The Light On" - new album by NEeMA

Anjani, Sharon Robinson, NEeMA, The Webb Sisters, Dino Soldo, Jennifer Warnes, Perla Batalla, Julie Christensen, Unified Heart Touring Band, Leonard's tours musicians...
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jarkko
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"Leave The Light On" - new album by NEeMA

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NEema's new live album is being released tomorrow on Tuesday, April 8th.
The entire album can be listened to here: http://exclaim.ca/MusicVideo/ClickHear/ ... bum_stream
The first music video of the album is for Unspoken https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZHKWLrobyI and a music video for Masi filmed in Egypt will be coming out Tuesday

Press release:
Montreal’s storyteller, writer and singer NEeMA is no stranger to the stage, or venturing around the world – sharing her music with fans from Canada, to Ireland, to Sweden and Belgium. Her upcoming release is a snap shot; a moment in time that will highlight some of her touring adventures. Leave The Light On is set to be released on April 8th and will feature live performances from Canada, the UK, Ireland and Europe. Travel over to Sweden with NEeMA for the live recording of Unspoken. To celebrate the release she will perform in Montreal on April 8th at Petit Campus and in Toronto at The Drake Underground on April 15th (details listed below). More shows to be announced soon.

Born in Montreal of Egyptian and Lebanese decent, NEeMA has a genuine and charismatic presence. Leonard Cohen has said of her “in the midst of all the static, a voice of true feeling arises - a rare event”. Leave the Light On features 12 songs – both originals and covers – captured live while on tour in Montreal (Canada), as well as Malmo (Sweden), Gent (Belgium), London (England), Dublin (Ireland), Oslo (Norway) and Lucca (Italy). The album starts off with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad – the title song from NEeMA’s favorite Springsteen record and a beautiful protest song. Leave The Light On continues with intimate and personal songs, including Elsa’s Lullaby, which is about her adopted beloved canine companion – a presence she always feels when she performs this song live. The album features her highly acclaimed love story Unspoken and prayer song Masi. As well, it contains Avalanche – one of Leonard Cohen’s songs that he taught NEeMA to play – she always found it hauntingly beautiful and a challenge to learn the guitar part. The LIVE album also contains personal anecdotes and incredible moments with fans from across the globe.

Following the release of her critically acclaimed 2010 sophomore album, Watching You Think (produced in association with Leonard Cohen and Pierre Marchand), NEeMA headed over to Europe in 2011 for an extended tour highlighted with several headline performances. She had the honor of opening shows for the legendary Joe Cocker and guitar hero/virtuoso Jeff Beck with the tour culminating with performances in Provence, France opening for and singing with Cindy Lauper; and in Lucca, Italy playing with the singular Sir Elton John. She is currently working on a new studio project due out at the end of 2014.

Leave The Light On Tracklisting
1. The Ghost of Tom Joad (Montreal, Canada)
2. Le Petit Bonheur (Paris, France)
3. Ayii Woole story
4. Ayii Woole (Lucca, Italy)
5. Unspoken (Malmo, Sweden)
6. Elsa’s Lullaby (Oslo, Norway)
7. Avalanche (London, England)
8. Running (Gent, Belgium)
9. Aatini El Nay (Gent, Belgium)
10. Circles and Lines (Montreal, Canada)
11. Emmenez Moi (Montreal, Canada)
12. Masi story
13. Masi (Dublin, Ireland)
14. Love Conquer Fear (Gent, Belgium)
15. (Bonus Talk)
More on her website at http://www.neema.ca (she also has a store). Digital copies on iTunes.
1988, 1993: Helsinki||2008: Manchester|Oslo|London O2|Berlin|Helsinki|London RAH|| 2009: New York Beacon|Berlin|Venice|Barcelona|Las Vegas|San José||2010: Salzburg|Helsinki|Gent|Bratislava|Las Vegas|| 2012: Gent|Helsinki|Verona|| 2013: New York|Pula|Oslo|||
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Mabeanie1
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Re: "Leave The Light On" - new album by NEeMA

Post by Mabeanie1 »

I pre- ordered the album and received a signed copy before Christmas. Very good it is too.

Wendy
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jarkko
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Re: "Leave The Light On" - new album by NEeMA

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http://www.theprovince.com/entertainmen ... story.html
(Also unplugged video of "Circles and Lines")
Filling in the blank pages
Being mentored by Leonard Cohen has inspired Montreal singer Neema to trust her songwriting instincts

By Bernard Perusse, Special to THE GAZETTE April 7, 2014

The blank page must rank as the most common fear of all singer-songwriters, and Neema is as intimidated by it as any of her contemporaries. Staring at it is the most difficult part of the songwriting process, she said during a recent interview at her home. "It's the scariest part. It's like going into some depth of nothingness," the Montreal artist said, bursting into a hearty laugh. "At least if you've started, you have something you can work on."

Faced with a few blank pages during the years after the release of her 2006 debut, Masi Cho, Neema found help in tackling the void from an iconic songwriter, poet and member of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

It was never part of a plan, said Neema, whose new live disc, Leave the Light On, will be available Tuesday. A chance encounter slowly grew into a friendship, which begat some email and verbal exchanges about her songs and, ultimately, resulted in the bona fide legend co-producing her 2010 sophomore album, Watching You Think — and even contributing the cover art.

Seriously, what are the odds of a struggling songwriter getting mentored by Leonard Cohen?

Neema first bumped into Cohen when the two were walking on St. Laurent Blvd., near Cohen's Mile End home. It was around the time she was finishing Masi Cho. They struck up a conversation and occasionally met at the park after that, she said.

"My dream, of course, was to be able to share my work with him," she said. "But I didn't right away, because I was shy. When I finished (Masi Cho), I gave him a copy, and he told me he liked it a lot. He said he thought there was something very genuine, honest and truthful in my voice."

Cohen's first piece of advice was to make her songs more personal, she said. "I kept that in mind in doing the second album," she said. When he praised the wording of one of her observations during an online exchange, it gave her more confidence to share her newer material, she said.

But Cohen's role was more coach than cheerleader.

One song, he bluntly concluded, wasn't working. "He told me 'You shouldn't try to save this one,'" she said. Similarly, an early version of Bone to Pick With Time — which did end up on the 2010 album — was too general, he told her.

"He said 'I don't hear a song.' I was kind of shattered," Neema said. "I remember thinking, that night, I'd never share anything again. Then, after a good night's sleep, I thought 'No, this is a great opportunity. I came from a math and science background, so this was like going to (writing) school with the master. A couple of hours of feedback from him could be weeks of intense work for me to dig to get where I was going."

The most important lessons she took away from the whole experience with Cohen, she said, was to trust herself. "The one thing he kept coming back to is 'What are you really thinking?'" she said, adding that he also stressed the importance of hard work, patience and rest in the songwriting process.
1988, 1993: Helsinki||2008: Manchester|Oslo|London O2|Berlin|Helsinki|London RAH|| 2009: New York Beacon|Berlin|Venice|Barcelona|Las Vegas|San José||2010: Salzburg|Helsinki|Gent|Bratislava|Las Vegas|| 2012: Gent|Helsinki|Verona|| 2013: New York|Pula|Oslo|||
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Re: "Leave The Light On" - new album by NEeMA

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1988, 1993: Helsinki||2008: Manchester|Oslo|London O2|Berlin|Helsinki|London RAH|| 2009: New York Beacon|Berlin|Venice|Barcelona|Las Vegas|San José||2010: Salzburg|Helsinki|Gent|Bratislava|Las Vegas|| 2012: Gent|Helsinki|Verona|| 2013: New York|Pula|Oslo|||
Cate
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Re: "Leave The Light On" - new album by NEeMA

Post by Cate »

Masi - Thanks for the links Jarkko.
I Iove the layering of the different sounds especially the Inuit throat singing in the background - wonderful.
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Goldin
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Re: "Leave The Light On" - new album by NEeMA

Post by Goldin »

Thanks, Jarkko! Both videos are superb.
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