Heavy Blue by Amanda Rogers

Even when settling into stillness, there is still a billowing breeze whispering wise words through each and every singing strand of thirsty, messy hair and straight to eager ears - open to the secret ancient conversations between ocean and stone - a blue so deep you fall awake. After 2014's double-album release, WILD, Upstate NY native, Amanda Rogers took some time to settle into this very stillness and allow for an untapped underground spring of inspiration to surface and open up in her. The result is a soulful introspective album called Heavy Blue. Songs that make you sink to the beat ("Wild Throat Wind", "Sink & Stay"), leave you weightlessly drifting safely in the warmth of shallow waters ("Blue", "Try Try Try"), or agitate and stir a forgotten feeling ("Struck Me Down", "Tornado").
Amanda took time to rehearse these blue songs with her musical soulmates, Goodkids, in the Summer of 2015. This musical outfit played shows together, collaborated on each other's music, and started the recording process for Amanda's songs in the Fall of 2015. Her latest songs for Heavy Blue revolve around all that "blue" evokes and the elements of which those hues and feelings often gets embodied. After getting the bones down, they took a little breather to sit with what they had and allow the creative spirit to be as it desired. From there, Mazz ( Nick Mazzeo of the Goodkids) was an indispensable player/co-producer on the album. Amanda enlisted the skilled folks at SubCat Music Studios in Syracuse, NY and they took an organic approach to the recording process, tracking live to be sure every nuance be heard and felt.
The waves and depths of the B3 Organ's leslie speakers - swelling, undulating, whirring. The dank grooves and perfect pockets by Gio (Giovanni Giardina of Goodkids) on the drums. The Low support of the almost mo-town Bass guitar like a hammock cradling the keys. The subtle soundscapes of the Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds submerging the listener into the deep dark sea and then hooking them back into the atmosphere for that deep breath before diving back down for further exploration. The sparse Electric Guitar... like catching the glimmer of light hitting the surface of the water in that golden moment on a cloudy day. The Grand piano - that Yamaha C7 heard on more classic albums than any other piano - a sound so integral in revealing the soft finesse to the raucous zenith that every pianist-songwriters needs for their dynamic performances. The lyrics and melodies that bring purpose to the music - that burrow deep into you soul - that bring your focus inward and outward - that make you sing. And lastly, Amanda's bold and stormy, yet sweet and vulnerable voice as mesmerizing as the endless tides of the sea.
Amanda Rogers' 10th solo album, Heavy Blue, is a cohesive and thoughtful work that drips with truth and mystery. With 14 catchy tracks, your heart will be towed along for a blue sound journey to a new island in your mind.

"just may restore your faith in Singer-songwriters."

"Quiet and somber melodies with introspective lyrics and ethereal instrumentals create an exciting dynamic that Rogers excels at. One can see why she brings audiences to a still awareness and complete hush, as she dazzles the listeners who give her their full attention."

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