Music Monday: Lady Lover

No one can argue when I say that I love women. At one point, I had more lady friends than I had guy friends. Some of my best friends are women.

I find that I can be more open with women, can be myself.

I'm a lady lover.

One of my friends, Amanda Cottreau, has a great talent: she has a voice that soothes, that calms. I have shared some of Amanda's music in previous Music Mondays, and I hope that you have enjoyed her beautiful, ethereal tone.

Amanda has a new song, which I heard her perform live, a couple of weeks ago, in a Wellington West chocolate shop. An unconventional venue, to be sure, but when you know how sweet her voice is, and her love of chocolate, it makes perfect sense.

Amanda's latest release, "Lady Lover," has a full band accompaniment, which is a departure from her acoustic sound, and it comes together beautifully.

Amanda described the genesis of this song to me:

"'Lady Lover' started as a single vocal/guitar smartphone demo and morphed into this multi-layered, ready-for-radio R & B track. It's got groovin' drum and bass lines, peppered with sweet electric-guitar-blues motifs and a dash of Rhodes piano, atop casual yet self-assured speakeasy vocals.

"It is unlike anything I have ever done. I wanted to write something confident and sexy. After having participated in the Vagina Monologues for the last couple years and not being able to do so this year, I wanted to create a song that would embody the experience I felt when I was part of it.

"What helped me write a song of this nature was a songwriting workshop I did with Lynn Miles. I took quite a few of the tips and tricks she suggested, and really challenged myself to write something radio-worthy. Once I had the song writing out the way, the arrangement was the next challenge. I teamed up with Jonathan Chandler (Amos the Transparent), whom I greatly admire. He had just opened up a cozy little studio (Second Hand Sound) out of his home in Ottawa. I knew, working with him, I would have the opportunity to build more complex arrangements, learn a little more about the recording process and collaborate with other local musicians.

"We had a lot of fun making it. It felt good to be working collaboratively with other musicians and to be back in studio. I love the synergy that happens when you get other musicians in the room! It certainly has me excited at the prospect of putting together a full length album.

"I'm not sure this would blend with the other tracks I've got in mind but if I end up recording with Jon, who knows what will happen."

Not only has Amanda released this fun song, she has entered it in this year's CBC Searchlight, a contest in which CBC Music and CBC Radio have joined to find Canada’s best emerging musical talent by providing artists local and national exposure. 

While Amanda isn't a new artist, not to her adoring fans, she is still emerging on the national scene. And, with this new single, she stands a great chance of getting her voice out to a much wider audience.

So, for this week's Music Monday, I have changed the format and I'm going to ask a favour of you. Click Amanda's image on the right-hand column (or click here) to go to her song on the Searchlight Web page. Listen to Amanda's song. Play it again, and again, if you're so moved (I played it about a half-dozen times the first time I listened to it). You can also play other songs from the page.

If you like her song, please vote for it. You can vote every day (I will remind my Twitter and Facebook friends daily, and I hope the image on my blog reminds you to do so).

I will keep Amanda's music link on The Brown Knowser for as long as it's a contender in the contest. I expect it to be there for a while.

Happy Monday!

And good luck, Amanda!!