diane ward
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diane ward

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"BEST ROCK VOCALIST"

BEST ROCK VOCALIST (FEMALE) Diane Ward
She's impossibly great, this veteran of rock bands (Bootleg, the Wait, Voidville) who, since 1995, has created three CDs and a one-off cassette with co-producer and guitar god Jack Shawde. Blessed with a conscience and a voice like honey in a blender, Ward always finds a way to sweeten her woeful lyrics while stirring up those themes that deserve the whirring-blade treatment. Her gift has made the Miami native a regional attraction, and after spending a year and enlisting a number of top musicians to craft her latest recording, The Great Impossible, Ward should reach an even wider audience. The world deserves nothing less.
- Miami New Times - Miami, Florida


"Miami native Ward has one of those"

Diane Ward - Miami native Ward has one of those electrifying, born-to-rock voices that elevates just about every song it touches... and that's not the only way this singer, guitarist and songwriter commands attention. Anyone who has heard Henk Milne's medieval garage band, the Volunteers, knows Ward can knock the skins off a drum kit. Anyone who's heard the online Women's Independent Music Show, which Ward co-founded and hosts, knows she is as passionate about other people's music as she is about her own. Ward is preparing to release a new album, The Great Impossible, her most extensive collaboration to date with the excellent guitarist Jack Shawde, whose fluency and imagination as a player, producer and arranger make him one of the regional music scene's indispensable people. - Sean Piccoli
- South Florida Sun Sentinel - Sean Piccoli


"BEST SONGWRITER"

On her latest CD, Wonderlight, Ward pens tunes that are so damn hummable you'll find yourself whistling the choruses while standing in line at Publix. The presidential elections, heightened hurricane activity and the war in Iraq have all been on the Hollywood-based singer-songwriter's mind, contributing to the jumble of emotions expressed on Wonderlight. "I can't stop the war/I can't stop thinking about the ruin," she sings on "Messed Up," which was written with old friends Jim Baumann and Jonelle Raspa. The politics of love is also described in "This Love Is Hard": "We held it out in the wide open, and it blazed a path to ruin/Now, your best friend is a song on the radio, and I'm holding hands with my lover the moon." Yet even with all the turmoil of the past few years, Ward remains hopeful. Heed her advice on the lovely, waltz-time rocker "Julie": "And if you're somewhere on the freeway and you can't see to the end/Julie, pool your heart and just glide … Everything is gonna be all right." - CITY LINK Magazine - BEST OF 2006 issue.


"WONDERLIGHT review"

What do you get when you blend the power of Melissa Etheridge's voice with the beauty of k.d. lang's? Two words: Diane Ward. This singer/songwriter powerhouse has been long under-recognized for her soulful voice and strike-to-the-heart lyrics.

On her fourth release, Wonderlight, Ward stirs up a potluck of rock, blues, and folk with an all-star production team including John Merchant (Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion) and mastering guru Bob Ludwig (Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin). Ward holds back nothing on this disc: the initial intoxication of love, the heavy loss that inevitably ensues, and the surprising hope to love again. It's all here in 11 tracks.

Diane explained her motivation for the album: "There is the sense that society has not completely drained us of our innocence... not completely numbed us to those things that get us up in the morning and bring meaning to our lives." She succeeds amazingly in delivering an exciting, uptempo album that doesn't shy away from those ballads that make us all a little bit nostalgic for the lessons we've learned, as well as to acknowledge the lessons we're still learning.

Highlights on Wonderlight include "This Love is Hard" ("And there's no avoiding feeling the crush when you're laid out under the wheel.") and "Passion Field" ("The bar's all sticky and damp with hearts hanging on the edge of a worn out jukebox."). It's the final track that wowed me though, "Tongue Tied", a touching ballad about the close of a relationship ("And I'm tongue tied, tired of you wasting this bad, bad wine. Well don't bother to raise your glass one more time.").

There's a lot of music out there that's pleasant enough but remains skin deep. Pick up a copy of Wonderlight and give yourself a musical exfoliation. - BiMagazine.com written by Skott Freedman


Discography

Wonderlight (2006)
The Great Impossible (2003)
Move (1999)
Mirror (1995)

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Bio

It’s all there in Diane Ward’s latest album, “Wonderlight.” There’s the impeccable production team of Diane and Jack Shawde, the great musicianship of the band and featured guests, as well as the superstar credentials of mixologist John Merchant (Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion) and legendary mastering guru Bob Ludwig (Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin). With “Wonderlight,” Ward’s celebrated vocals have developed more depth and purpose, and the melodies settle in the cortex and cannot be shaken. But above all it is the songwriting, the majesty of the lyrics, and the passion for life’s truths that take hold of our spirits as we bathe in the “Wonderlight.”

The mood has shifted here from Diane’s previous album, the critically acclaimed, “The Great Impossible.” While Impossible speaks of the restless spirit fighting to maintain its purpose, in “Wonderlight” we discover the seeds of hope and the emergence of redemption. As Diane explains, “There is the sense that society has not completely drained us of our innocence... not completely numbed us to those things that get us up in the morning and bring meaning to our lives.” No Diane Ward album is complete without love songs peopled by characters that careen in and out of relationships. From “This Love is Hard” where the main character laments, “And there’s no avoiding feeling the crush when you’re laid out under the wheel”, to the exquisite “Passion Field” where “The bar’s all sticky and damp with hearts hanging on the edge of a worn out jukebox ...”, Diane takes us through the myriad of feelings that surround this elusive emotion.

Finally, there is the matter of her exceptional voice. Music journalist Greg Baker recounts his visit to a recording session of Diane’s previous album, “The Great Impossible” ... “the sounds coming from the (recording) booth on this summer night – ghostly, pitch perfect, tough and fragile at once – boggle.” Numerous “Best Female Vocalist” awards attest to the special gift that has helped catapult Diane’s career into the national spotlight.

Such accomplished talent did not appear suddenly without hard work and the contributions of many other gifted people. Born and bred in Miami, Diane's talents were nurtured by some of the finest musicians in the area. In 1995, pursuing more of an acoustic sound, she went solo, teaming with Jack Shawde, whose eloquent guitar work helped bring her songs and characters to life. Jack's career has encompassed projects and tours with such notables as Bob Dylan, Dr. John, John Mayall, Al Kooper, and Stan Lynch of the Heartbreakers.

That same year Diane released her debut CD, “Mirror,” which was acclaimed by Album Network for its “acoustic based rock with rich, full arrangements that highlight her singular vocal style and accomplished songwriting.” Billboard Magazine called it “a stunning collection of husky emotional songs with Ward’s powerhouse vocals front and center.” “Mirror” landed in Gavin’s very competitive AAA chart, receiving airplay at 140 commercial and non-commercial stations with selected cuts charting on several stations’ top 10 lists.

Building on the success of it's predecessor, Diane released her sophomore album, “Move” which received acclaim as "a masterful collection of pop songwriting," and was awarded "Best Rock CD" in the April "Best of 2000" issue of South Florida's City Link Magazine.

In 2003, Diane released her tour de force album 'The Great Impossible.' 'The Great Impossible' was co-produced by Diane & long time friend and music partner, Jack Shawde. It was mastered by Greg Calbi (Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann), the album received play on AAA radio nationally, and the band toured the West and Northeast in support of the record. MTV took notice of the album and licensed it in its entirety. In July 2006, the producers of the Academy Award nominated film “Crash” featured one of Diane’s songs on the premier episode of their TV series, 'Angela's Eyes' broadcast on the Lifetime Channel. Several songs were also featured in the Award-winning documentary "Blindsided" which aired on HBO in 2008.

Her latest album, 'Wonderlight was released in 2006 and was again co-produced by Diane and Jack Shawde. ‘Wonderlight’ was mixed by South Florida's own, John Merchant (Mika, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, BeeGees) and legendary mastering guru Bob Ludwig (Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin). 'Wonderlight' received airplay on AAA radio nationally. 'Trampoline Hero' was the #1 Single on Sirius OUT Q channel 109. 'Unloving Game' was a top 10 single on Sirius OUT Q channel 109.

This year (2009) Diane is back in the studio and scheduled to release her 5th album (title TBA) on Shinytown Records later this year. In support of the new album Diane will be touring across the U.S. in support of the new release.

Stay tuned!