Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

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John Etherington
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Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

Post by John Etherington »

Anyone who is familiar with Felicity Buirski’s music will be delighted to hear that her third album is now available for download, and will very soon (late January 2019) be available to purchase on CD.

For those who are not familiar with Felicity’s work, I will briefly outline her significance. Felicity is an ex-model who also had a few minor film roles. She has been singing since an early age, and once received the blessing of Sandy Denny who saw her sing as a young girl in the Sixties.

Felicity was first drawn to Leonard's music in the late Sixties when she heard "The Songs of Leonard Cohen", and became passionate about it in the early Seventies, when she heard “Love Calls You by Your Name”. Felicity later became a friend of Leonard and it is very likely that his song “The Window” was inspired by her (it was me who brought this to her attention).

Felicity released her first album “Repairs and Alterations” in 1987. Her work was championed by both Leonard and Jennifer Warnes. One of the songs on Felicity’s first album “Come to Me Darling” was written about Leonard, as was an earlier single titled, ”Four O’ Clock in America”.

I personally discovered Felicity’s work in the late Eighties, when I attended one of her live appearances. We made a connection then, and have been friends ever since. I recommended her music to Jim Devlin who was similarly taken with it, and who mentioned Felicity in his first book.

Felicity’s work has a distinctly “Cohenesque” flavour, while also being original and unique. I say this, because it has similar qualities of being both spiritually-infused and soul-searching. It is also conveyed with earnestness and passion. This is again evident on Felicity’s second album “Interior Design” (1998) which features Peter Knight on violin, adding a “Recent Songs” quality to the work.

Felicity’s third album “Committed to the Fire” was recorded about ten years ago, but its release was delayed until now, since Felicity was recovering from a car accident, and had other personal issues to contend with. An unexpected boost came for Felicity when I casually mentioned on the LC Forum that Leonard’s “I’ve Got a Little Secret” had lyrical similarities to one of Felicity’s poems. Leonard graciously acknowledged that the poem may have influenced him subliminally, and gave Felicity co-writing credits when he recorded the song. Felicity in turn appeared at a Leonard tribute event (also featuring Julie Felix) at St James Church in Piccadilly, London.

In my opinion, “Committed to the Fire” features Felicity’s greatest work. One of the tracks “Modern Art” I found so moving on first listen, that it brought tears to my eyes. Two tracks that I think will especially appeal to Leonard devotees are “The Vampire Waltz” and “Who Will Guard the Dog”. The download can be ordered from: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/felicitybuirski For further info see: http://www.felicitybuirski.com/

Finally, here’s a video of Felicity singing one of the songs from her previous album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG1kDIQ_WVU
John Etherington
Posts: 2605
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Re: Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

Post by John Etherington »

You'll find samples on this CD Baby link (also now available from Amazon U.K.):

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/felicitybuirski
Last edited by John Etherington on Tue Apr 30, 2019 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
John Etherington
Posts: 2605
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Re: Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

Post by John Etherington »

This album is one of the best things you will ever hear. For fullest appreciation. I would urge everyone to listen to the album in sequence, as intended (rather than too many random tracks). Side two in particular is a revelation.
John Etherington
Posts: 2605
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Re: Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

Post by John Etherington »

I've heard that there's a slight delay with the CD release of Felicity's CD, due to corrections in the art work. Hopefully IT will be available in earlier part of this month (February 2019).
Last edited by John Etherington on Tue Apr 30, 2019 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
John Etherington
Posts: 2605
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Re: Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

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Great to see that this thread has exceeded 700 hits! The CD is now imminent, and will hopefully be ready later this week.
Last edited by John Etherington on Tue Apr 30, 2019 12:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
John Etherington
Posts: 2605
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Re: Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

Post by John Etherington »

Felicity's wonderful CD is finally available to order from CD Baby and Amazon:

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/felicitybuirski (samples of the songs are available on the CD Baby link)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Committed-Fire ... sic&sr=1-2

"Felicity's spiritual, mystical journey, documented in song, continues with this third of four albums, which will make up Wayfarer - One woman's journey from Illusion to Light. The classically influenced melodies are here given a country embrace. Committed to the Fire follows on from her critically-acclaimed, award-winning debut album, Repairs & Alterations (1987) and second album, Interior Design (1998). Renowned singer, Jennifer Warnes, told Felicity back in the early nineties that she had waited all her life to hear songs like hers and that she was "digging roads" with them. Leonard Cohen told Felicity, "Your voice is a very clear light". Felicity's 'habit' of releasing an album every ten years was broken along with her sternum when she was involved in a major car crash in 2009. In a heightened state of survival she paradoxically surrendered to the frailty of the flesh and supremacy of the spirit. Confronted yet again with the continuing necessity to transform or die, she faced more of the demons she thought she could run from and wrote many of the songs for Home, which will complete Wayfarer; her lifetime's work."
Last edited by John Etherington on Tue Apr 30, 2019 12:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
John Etherington
Posts: 2605
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Re: Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

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It's great to see that this thread has had more than two thousand viewings. Have any readers bought the album? If so, I'd be interested to know what you think of it, and/or which are your favourite tracks.
John Etherington
Posts: 2605
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:17 pm

Re: Felicity Buirski New Album: "Committed to the Fire"

Post by John Etherington »

Two tracks by Felicity Buirski were featured today on this radio show: You can replay "Who Will Guard the Dog" (18 seconds in) and "Committed to the Fire" at 48 minutes:

https://www.mixcloud.com/rosalynbarclay ... xyiJBruwDg
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