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“Delightful, kooky and always full of ideas. ‘...and other tales’ is the equivalent to being blindfolded and taken on a musical adventure. My favourite albums are the ones where you finish listening to them and can’t decide if you want to listen to it all over again or raid the artist’s record collection to find out about their influences. That makes this one of my favourite albums.” - The Entertainer Music and Lifestyle Magazine
We love new music and new bands here at DV Mag. In fact, via the recent ‘Your Music In Our Mag‘ series, Editor Rob has already begun highlighting worthy new talent, but today it’s my turn. Let me introduce you to Rebecca De Winter.
Rebecca
This morning’s email in box contained a lovely message along the DV247 ‘satisfied customer’ angle that thankfully the guys over there receive on a daily basis, but there was ‘something’ about Rebecca’s email that caught mine and everyone’s eye. She was happily writing in to say how satisfied she was with the purchase of her ‘wonderful’ Nord Clavia piano and invited us to view a video she’d made of her music. I checked it out and loved it.
Rebecca has been making music for a few years now, still with pretty much the same band and collaborators (formely known as ‘Tinker Jack’), but it was only recently that all involved agreed that Rebecca herself should step forward and become the primary focus and identifiable lead artist in her own right.
Debut Material
Bedfordshire based Beccy has played piano and flute since a child and is no stranger to live performance, song-writing and singing. Her ‘sound’, based on a heritage of ‘indie-folk’, currently fuses alternative pop/soul with pure piano balladry – not ‘my’ usual fare then musically? Nope -wrong! Quite honestly, even from someone like me with the Kraftwerkian, machine-like electronica circuitry running through my production leanings, I was delighted to find her debut song, ‘Shy Bride’ to be the most refreshing, innocent, pure and gawd-danggit catchy slice of acoustic pop I’ve heard for years.
Yes, the song is beautiful, yes, Rebecca instantly warms your heart with a sincere and emotive performance, but add all that to a rather professional story-boarded, location selected and well produced video and we definitely have something special happening here. The actual video was directed by Rebecca’s ‘Shy Bride’ writing partner for the song, David Litchfield (himself quite a talent it seems) who, as a lecturer in a local college too, enlisted the help of students to man the multi camera set-up in the video location of an old book/curio shop in Bedfordshire. The result, which has gathered over 1,000 plays in just a few days since upload, can be seen in the YouTube video below.
Piano Purity
As for that ‘wonderful’ Nord piano – when I chatted with Rebecca today on the phone, she mentioned that, although being somewhat of a piano purist (the actual piano on ‘Shy Bride’ was a character filled, slightly out of tune Steinway), the Nord is the closest (and portable) thing to an actual grand piano sound she’s ever played. It now graces every live performance Beccy and the band play, and can be heard in use on some of her other material currently on the net.
With an album to follow soon, and radio support from national and regional ‘BBC Introducing’ to as far field as specialist stations in New York City, Rebecca De Winter remains un-signed for now, but gaining momentum even as I write this. Major labels, get your cheque books at the ready, we’ve got an acoustic version of the ‘Little Boots’ story happening here. - DV247 Magazine: Paul Dakeyne
She’s back. Rebecca De Winter, a new British music talent who’s destined soon to break through to the mainstream, dropped us an email to let us know about her brand new single, “Higher Skies’ (Sad Songs)”. We highlighted Rebecca’s debut single and video a few months ago here at DV Mag after she got in touch initially to thank DV247 for some great service when supplying her ‘lovely’ new Nord Clavia Piano.
Taken from her debut (and as yet I believe, criminally un-signed) album, this new song is as enchanting as her first offering. The sensory experience of Rebecca De Winter is akin to opening an old wardrobe door and stepping into a fairytale land of almost childlike, certainly retrospective, fantasy. And not only is Rebecca herself back on our radar, so is her Nord Piano.
In her previous single, she played a creaky old Steinway, reserving the new Nord for her live stage performances. But this time, the red sleek lines of the Clavia are front and forward as we check the video out to see this talented new star, delicately tinkling the ivories.
I have no doubt that Rebecca will indeed cross over to national and international success, perhaps maybe following her appearance on a forthcoming Jools Holland show – is someone at his office paying attention?! For now though and via the video below, I’ll leave you to enjoy yet again this wonderfully gifted singer/song-writer and, please, do keep an eye and ear out for all she produces via the Rebecca De Winter reverbnation page. - DV247 Magazine: Paul Dakeyne
Discography
Album: Rebecca De Winter...'and other tales'
Radio Play So Far...
BBC Introducing, Beds and Herts
WCR FM, Steve Morris Roots Show
BBC Radio Scotland Iain Anderson Show
Inspiration FM Playing tracks and live session
Moorlands Radio, Simon Jones Roots Show
Heartland FM, Scotland playing tracks and interview
Tuna The Day web radio, Album of the week in January
Brooklands Radio, Suzanne Hunter Arts Show.
Wayland FM, Norfolk, Paul Young Show.
All FM, Manchester, Andrew Edwards Art Beat show.
BBC Radio Foyle, Northern Ireland, Brian Mullen Show
Oban FM, Scotland, Campbell Cameron Drive Time show.
Photos
Bio
Rebecca De Winter’s sound fuses the alternative pop soul of Ryan Adams with the pure piano balladry of Ben Folds, Regina Spektor and the narrative delivery of Kate Bush.
The new debut album ‘...and other tales’ released on ‘Brother Sister Music Group’ records was produced at Lost Boys Studio by Ru Cook (Eyelash / The Johnny Parry Trio) and Nick Mailing (The Quireboys). The project was completed with string arrangements by Johnny Parry (Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra / Lost Toys Records).
The 11 songs of ‘…And Other Tales’ represent a confident and intriguing introduction to the world of Rebecca De Winter. The emotionally charged lyrics of ‘Photograph’ are soon contrasted by the captivating pop-folk of ‘Shy Bride’. A homage to the book Rebecca was named after by Daphne Du Maurier, the first music video for this track has already received great reviews and over 2000 views within the first two weeks.
‘Higher Skies’ has already started to become a live favourite with credentials to become a future classic ballad. ‘Lover’ and ‘The Faceless Nameless Son’ will fill dancefloors with their respective Latino and Doo-Wop beats, whereas ‘Stranger’ and the duet ‘Brother/Sister’ demonstrate that Miss De Winter is not afraid to out-and-out rock.
‘Joy’ offers a raw and and stripped down narrative whereas album closer ‘Gone Gone Gone’ –with it’s striking piano riff , sweeping strings and-yes- a flute solo- offers a suitably epic conclusion to an album that is-essentially- a non-restrictive tour of this rising talents eclectic musical genes.
Rebecca has played the piano and flute since she was at school and even before then was singing and composing songs. A fascination for whimsical storytelling and the darker side of fairytales helped to shape the album’s narrative.
Rebecca De Winter has continued to work collaboratively with songwriter and old school friend David Litchfield and between them they have created the album with a pool of talented musicians. Rebecca De Winter can undertake anything from a solo performance with piano through to a 9 piece band strings, brass, guitars and percussion.
Former band support slots have included Electric Soft Parade, The Leisure Society, Au Revoir Simone, Vanessa Peters and Diana Jones.
Rebecca De Winter has already supported the likes of Eve Selis (San Diego Music Awards - Best Americana Artist 2010) and Amy Wadge (multi award winning singer songwriter) as well as Americana/Folk artist Rod Picott. Rebecca will be supporting the ‘Leonard Cohen approved’ Webb Sisters in 2012.
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