Sheila Swift
Houston, Texas, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
“Sheila’s voice is so stirring...she is the total package from image, songwriting and a natural knack for writing/singing ‘now’ sounding hooks.” – Sockspider.com
- Sockspider.com
Sheila Swift's The Shape of Things is a smart-pop lover's dream. It's a slick, vividly produced collection of tunes that are sentimental without overdosing on syrup. Swift's bold, brightly colored voice injects every song with a shimmering immediacy.
The Houston-based singer, who spent some time in Seattle, has a knack for catchy hooks that are more complex than most of what rules Top 40 radio. It makes sense, since she lists Neil Finn and Sarah McLachlan as influences.
Swift recorded the disc in Idaho with an impressive set of players that includes bassist Joey Canaday (LeAnn Rimes), drummer Jeff Marino (Jo Dee Messina), guitarist Nathan Trueb (the Carolines) and pianist Dennis Borycki (Garth Brooks).
Kickoff track Feel Like I Do weaves a tale of a tortuous breakup, but it's pure joy once the chorus kicks in, as Swift wonders if others have
felt the same as she does.
She muses about her strengths and weaknesses during Hard Like Oak and showcases a lilting country-pop groove on There's Still Love, which
recalls the sweet sound of the Wreckers.
Interrupter, another standout, equates a disastrous relationship with a wild-West shootout. An ominous arrangement rolls behind Swift's clever lyrics, which position her as an unlikely gunslinger.
As its title suggests, Something Borrowed is about a wedding day, but it's also a bittersweet remembrance of lost loved ones. It incorporates joy and pain and wraps them in a lush, lovely arrangement.
The disc's — and Swift's — ultimate strength is imagery and metaphor, which never spill into cliché. Swift, who majored in art and English at
Houston Baptist University, also paints. (You can see her work at www.gallery279.com).
The music alone, though, creates a vivid pop portrait that always delights — and often dazzles. - Houston Chronicle
"Sheila’s got a beautiful and powerful voice, delivering her lyrics with deep feeling drawn from personal experience. The musical accompaniment helps bring the feeling of her songs alive, and draws the listener in. We’re looking forward to her new release."
-indiepro.com - Indiepro.com
Discography
Shape of Things, 2007
Casting Stones (Single), 2001
Sheila Swift, 2000
Photos
Bio
2008 Rockwired.com Female Artist of the Year!
There was a line from a PRETENDERS song: "I've got a smile for everyone I meet." It's hard to imagine CHRISSIE HYNDE flashing a smile at anyone. However, that line seems to fit singer songwriter SHEILA SWIFT a little more snuggly. She's got the cheeriest disposition this side of DORIS DAY, yet this HOUSTON, TX native's oh-so-sunny disposition isn't the result of life gone easy. At the age of twelve she was faced with something most children never face; mortality. Diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, she learned at an early age the importance of living your life with purpose- something she does everyday through music & art.
Her debut CD THE SHAPE OF THINGS is not the first release from SWIFT. In 2000, she released her eponymously titled debut CD, more demonstration of vocal prowess than of the artist she has now matured into. "What's different is the commitment to pursue the road as an artist and not just as a singer," says SWIFT. "I've written all of the songs, I'm more involved in the process as opposed to my last project where I was just a seventeen year old being shaped to fit the bill for any label lacking a Britney, Christina, or Jessica at that time. " THE SHAPE OF THINGS is a CD with a heart on its sleeve. It's a CD that strives for honesty without sacrificing time honored pop hooks that keep a song in ones head for weeks.
July 2007, Sheila and husband/guitar player, Michael Hurst, toured the UK for the first time. The Texans charmed the Brits when they played a much-coveted set at THE VAULT, HARD ROCK CAFE (Hyde Park), and they won over the Welsh at spots such as THE STABLES in BETWS Y COED & THE FARMER'S ARMS in ST. DAVIDS, WALES. In 2008 Sheila and her band played two major festivals, the Folk Alliance in Memphis and SXSW in Austin, Texas. She is currently writing new material and looking forward to entering the studio to work on her next album.
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