Sally-Anne Whitten & The Rumour Mill

"Her musical talent, both as a singer and a guitar player, make her an outstanding and passionate musician." - Alan Erskine - MILDURA WEEKLY, OCT 7 2007

"Puis il ya merveilleuse interpretation du superbe blues "A Lover is forever" qui vous fait fondre dans vos bottes, avec un accompagnement impeccable a la guitare acoustique (solo par le talentuex Alwyn Aurisch) Mais attention: un amant c'est pour la vie. Un CD de grande classe."


Translation...

A wonderful interpretation of the superb blues that makes you melt in your boots, with an impeccable accompaniment on the acoustic guitar (solo by the talented Alwyn Aurisch) But attention: a lover this is for life. A CD of excellent class. - LE CRI DE COYOTE ( FRANCE)- JANUARY 2007

Sally-Anne Whitten admits she stretches the boundaries of country, but she does so with such energy and attitude that it works brilliantly. She says she was aiming to recreate the vibe of a live gig, and she has definatley succeeded. Her long-awaited debut album is packed with a diverse array of songs, relfecting influences from blues to country rock to the traditional country. While Sally-Anne has included a number of well chosen songs by other writers on the album, the highlights are her own compositions. The standouts are Linda's on the Radio- a song that will connect with anyone making a living singing in pubs and clubs- and the cheeky, no-punches-pulled Manwrecker. The delightful Count Your Blessings is another great track, as isÏt Aint Right. ANother highlight is Sally-Anne's duet with Guy Kachel on I believe I'm In Love With you. This is a classy, warm, passionate and highly appealing collection of music from a determined and talented young artist, who should be congratulated on a job well done.
--- Sue Jarvis - Capital News-Rural Press

By Susan Jarvis
Tamworth's known internationally as Australia's country Music Capital, but it isn't so widely known that the city is packed with homegrown talent....
One of those artists is SALLY-ANNE WHITTEN. And in many
ways, her story parallels that of her hometown. She
was born around the time the Country Music Capital
concept was launched, so for her whole life she’s been
exposed to country music and a city inextricably bound
up with the music industry.
It’s not surprising, then, that this talented young woman has absorbed
many musical influences, from blues, to country rock to the pure sounds of traditional country.
It has been a while coming - with two successful EPs along the way -
but now Sally-Anne Whitten has finally released her long-awaited debut
album, Blurring The Lines.
“The title is a reference to my musical style, which incorporates many
influences into a country sound,” Sally-Anne said.
With the influence of producer
ALWYN AURISCH, Sally-Anne has
captured a real energy in her music.
“We really wanted to nail that
live sound, the feel you create when you’re on stage. I’ve used my regular band, and made sure all the songs can be reproduced live,” she said.
The album was launched
— appropriately enough for a
Tamworth girl — during this
year’s Hats Off Festival, with
a packed-house concert at the
Regent Theatre.
Blurring The Lines features a
number of songs that Sally-Anne
wrote herself, and they are amongst the best tracks on the album.
They include a wonderful song
that anyone in the music industry will relate to immediately, Linda’s On The Radio.
“It’s about the frustrations and
disappointments of performing
in empty venues, to crowds more
interested in watching the football than listening to your music,”
Sally-Anne said.
“I remember a breaking point
at a particular gig, when I thought
‘I can’t do this anymore’. But on
the way home I heard a LINDA
RONSTADT song on the car radio
and remembered why I wanted to
sing in the fi rst place.”
The cheeky, feisty Manwrecker
is a big hit at Sally-Anne’s live
shows, and that vibe comes across
on the album as well.
“We went for a swampy,
CREEDENCE sort of feel for this
song, which suited the tongue-incheek
humour in it,” she said.
“This is a half-serious stab at all the ex-girlfriends of the men I’ve dated. By the time they’re finished
with these guys, they have more
baggage than Qantas!”
Sally also wrote the delightful
Count Your Blessings, which was
written following the death of a
close friend.
“It’s a reminder that there’s
always someone worse off, and
we should be grateful for what
we have. It’s really meant as a
refl ection on how we all tend to take things for granted,” she said.
It Ain’t Right is a slightly
different take on love - the concept that something really might be too good to be true.
“This is almost an anthem.
But it ends up realizing that just sometimes we can get lucky, and then you’ve just got to believe and go for it,” Sally-Anne said.
Sally-Anne’s own songs sit
comfortably with a diverse range
of covers, including a duet with
Blues singer GUY KACHEL on the
KIM WILSON hit I Believe I’m In Love With You (he also plays harmonica on the track), and the rocky Real Man. Sally-Anne also does a great job on the powerful Little Black
Book, and the first single, JOHN
HIATT’s Don’t Know Much About
Love, is a real highlight.
Sally-Anne has notched up
a number of successes over the
years, including a Toyota Star
Maker fi nals berth in 2002, a
TIARA Songwriter of the Year
award in 2004, and a berth in the Coopers Golden Saddle Awards
in 2005. She also supported
KEITH URBAN for his 2000
Tamworth concert.
With the album now available,
Sally-Anne will do a series of
shows in Sydney in August,
followed by a West Australian tour
with her band THE RUMOUR MILL.
Then she heads down to the
Mildura Festival for the third year in a row, to perform the songs from her album at a series of shows.
“I’m thrilled to have the album
out there, and also really proud
to be performing music from
Tamworth. We have so many
great artists here, and it has been
a privilege growing up in Country
Music Capital and getting the
chance to develop my performing
and songwriting skills in this
environment. When festival time
comes around, it’s just great to be
a local!” Sally-Anne said.

AUGUST 2009 ISSUE - CAPITAL NEWS