Melanie Doane
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | SELF
Music
Press
“Expressive lyrics and stunning vocals make this album [You Are What You Love] addictive.”
- Musical Discoveries
“She's her own woman, something that shines through powerfully in her punchy and relevant lyrics." - The Leader Post
“This artist possesses a wicked sense of irony underneath her wholesome and positive exterior...." - Edmonton Sun
Slow dancing on a sawdust floor, Doane knows its right with a Blue Rodeo harmony singer (Jim Cuddy). The fiddled Fleetwood Mac cover ("Songbird") is the kindest made-in-Canada duet of the year, next to the Feist-and-Constantines’ Islands in the Stream. - Globe and Mail
After a five-year hiatus, Doane returns with quite a special album opening with her own, lovely "Every Little Thing." Tackling "Song of Bernadette" was gutsy and successful and her Ron Sexsmith duet on "Devoted to You" is near perfect. Wow! - The Vancouver Province
A Thousand Nights is a soothing mix of 70's songs (including Devoted To You, Song of Bernadette and Wildflowers) each of them graced with Doane's artful touch (she plays mandolin, bass, guitar, fiddle and piano). Album highlights: Duets with Ron Sexsmith, Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo fame and Doane's husband, Ted Dykstra. - Canadian Living (July 2008)
Feature Pick: Melanie Doane - A Thousand Nights - Chatelaine (June 2008)
“As Melanie Doane takes the stage, the powerful voice and intense focus that earned her the title of Best New Canadian Artist are clear.” - The Endeavour
“Melanie Doane is a woman with a fiddle, but don't jump to any conclusions. She is no sweetheart of the rodeo and, despite hailing from Nova Scotia, she is no Celtic sprite either. Pop-rock is her thing, and judging from her show last night, she plays it with plenty of passion and panache.” - Calgary Sun
“Doane’s soulful voice and multi-instrumental talents made for an intimate, relaxing environment. Doane impressed the audience not only with her sweet throaty voice, but her abilities on keyboard, guitar, electric fiddle and the ukulele. The club felt more like a coffee house with the sunshine yellow and warm red lighting and Doane's playful chatter with the audience. Doane is a talented artist with a cheery inviting stage presence, well worth going to see.” - Halifax Daily News
Discography
ALBUMS:
"The Emerald City" (March 1, 2011) - Prairie Ocean
"A Thousand Nights" (2008) - Prairie Ocean
"You Are What You Love" (2003) - Actorboy/Warner Music Canada
"Melvin Live" (2001) - MapleMusic
"Adam's Rib" (1998) - Sony Canada/Columbia USA
"Shakespearean Fish" (1996) - Sony Canada
"Harvest Train" (1993) - Indie
SINGLES:
"Songbird" (feat. Jim Cuddy) - Top 5 iTunes Country Singles
"Wilma Or A Betty Man" (2003) - Top 20 Hot AC
"Still Desire You" (2003) - Top 5 CHR/Hot AC
"Happy Homemaker" (1999) - Top 40 Hot AC
"Goliath" (1999) - Top 20 CHR/Hot AC
"Waiting For The Tide" (1999) - Top 40 Hot AC
"Adam's Rib" (1998) - Top 20 Rock/CHR/Hot AC
TV PLACEMENTS:
Flashpoint: "Chopin Ballad"
Being Erica: "Every Little Thing"
Brothers and Sisters: Good Gifts
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: I Cant Take My Eyes Off You
Dawsons Creek: Bionic
Party Of Five: Absolutely Happy, Waiting For The Tide
Thats Life: Bionic, Still Desire You, Way Past Blue, "You Are What You Love", "Absolutely Happy", "Good Gifts", "Mel's Rock Pile"
Baywatch Hawaii: "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Resurrection Blvd: "How You Cried", "Good Gifts", "Still Desire You"
American Express (Commercial): Good Gifts
Prom Queen (TV Movie): You Are What You Love
Black Swan (Movie): Here I Am, Way Past Blue, Still Desire You
Santa Baby (Movie), Happy Together
Photos
Bio
Theres no place like home sings Juno Award winning singer-songwriter Melanie Doane on Ruby Slippers, the opening track from her new album THE EMERALD CITY, out March 1 on iTunes internationally. While a Wizard of Oz theme is apparent, Melanie isnt channeling her inner Dorothy on this fresh set of pop-rock gems. The Emerald City is an image we all know, says Doane. It means different things to different people, but ultimately it's the only image I know of that embodies disenchantment and hope at the same time. It's the shattering of something you believe in, but somehow optimism remains. Thats where Im coming from with these songs.
THE EMERALD CITY follows 2008s critically-acclaimed A THOUSAND NIGHTS, an album inspired by Melanies experiences with motherhood and featuring an assortment of original tunes and classic covers re-arranged as lullabies. That album generated prominent song placements in hit shows like CBCs Being Erica and CBSs Flashpoint, and celebrated Melanies softer side musically and lyrically. In contrast, THE EMERALD CITY feels like a return to form, recalling the edgier style of her breakthrough Gold-selling record ADAMS RIB while tactfully showcasing Melanies multifaceted skills as a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist (she plays guitar, violin, piano, ukulele, mandolin, and bass). I had more to say this time around, so it's nice to have a place to say it, affirms Doane.
The more shes referring to are the changes shes faced over the past few years. Having embarked on a new side project as a music educator while continuing to tour and write songs, the recently separated mom is busier than ever and putting it all into her creative work. My life has been changing considerably, and like all moms, it's a bit of a balancing act. Nevertheless, music still remains at the centre of everything I do and [I feel] this album showcases that. I'm grateful to continue to have my music as an outlet.
Artfully produced by her drummer and brother Creighton Doane, THE EMERALD CITY is an emotional journey, chronicling love lost and an understanding of self gained. A witty songwriter who skillfully employs a less is more approach to her craft, Doane finds new and interesting ways to incorporate familiar images and phrases into her most personal work to date. The verses of The Stupider I Am recount the simple things we learn growing up (Eat when youre hungry/When youre tired, close your eyes), while its chorus cleverly asserts ownership of ones missteps (The more I know, the stupider I am). Disaster Waiting to Happen finds Melanie comparing personal crisis with that of famous tragedies (Im the Titanic, just before the ice/Im Romeo and Juliet/Im a disaster waiting to happen/But I cant see it yet), while the album closer Make God Laugh is about relinquishing attempts to control fate and accepting the present as reality. (My only sorrow/My only true regret/Living for tomorrow/One day Ill never get)
The product of a musical family, Halifax-born Doane has spent a large portion of the last fifteen years on the road supporting her numerous solo albums. While her debut album SHAKESPEAREAN FISH received critical praise and garnered a loyal following, the release of ADAMS RIB in 1998 brought Melanie's music to a mainstream audience. With a running theme that is best described as a delving dichotomy, ADAMS RIB brilliantly showcases Melanies flair as both an instrumentalist and songwriter, featuring punchy-relevant lyrics laced with strong musical wit. What followed the albums release is nothing short of extraordinary: multiple top 40 singles, a Juno Award for Best New Artist, a Canadian Radio Award for Most Charted Rock Artist, over 200 shows in Canada and the U.S., and a Gold record award.
Since ADAMS RIB, Melanie has pursued her career independent of the label system. In 2001, she recorded and released the fan cherished MELVIN LIVE, an album showcasing her energetic and diverse live show. Her third studio album YOU ARE WHAT YOU LOVE followed in 2003, preceded by the lead single Still Desire You, which spanned multiple formats and eventually went Top 5. A THOUSAND NIGHTS followed in 2008, preceded by the albums lead single "Songbird" which reached Top 5 on the iTunes Country singles chart. To date, Doane has written seven chart topping singles across various formats in Canada, including "Goliath", "Still Desire You", "Adam's Rib", and "Waiting For The Tide". She also has toured or recorded songs with some of Canada's finest talents, including Jann Arden, Jim Cuddy, Sarah McLachlan, Ron Sexsmith, Ed Robertson (of Barenaked Ladies) and Great Big Sea.
Between raising kids and making records, Melanie has managed to tour in support of each album, write songs for various artists, play as a side man on several albums, have her music featured on hit television shows like Brothers and Sisters, Being Erica, Flashpoint, and Buffy the Vampire
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