Bethany Dillon
When Bethany Dillon came on the scene in 2004, at the young age of 14, it was not only the depth of her songs that garnered attention but her distinctive alto voice that sang with deep soul and wisdom of someone twice her age. So Far: The Acoustic Sessions is an organic, stripped-down album of fan favorites along with “Hero” from the Chronicles of Narnia Soundtrack, and a Beatle’s cover to top it off. Recorded over 2 days in a studio, this album has the ‘feel’ of an intimate live show. Already a proven hit digitally with the 2007 EP release, So Far: Acoustic Sessions is now fully developed with 10 songs and a tour to support it spring 2008, but why not just let Bethany tell you about it.
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About a year ago, the idea for this little project was proposed to me by my friend Brad. He asked if I had any interest in recording a six-song EP of acoustic versions of songs from the three previous records, and I immediately felt like the creativity in me let out a deep sigh. Only a handful of months before that, I’d finished and released Waking Up-- so the thought of writing anything felt like having to run fifty more laps after completing a marathon. I’ve always been a bit of a drama queen, but I promise, those sentiments post-record season are as genuine as they come.
But, the thought of having the freedom to make new arrangements to old songs, kick back and enjoy the creativity of everyone in the studio—that sounded like a whole lot of fun. And, even though it was “recording”, it sounded extremely restful.
So, in the middle of the very crazy spring of 2007, my brother/road manager and I flew to Nashville on some days off to begin the process with producers Ian and Justin. We only recorded six of the ten songs during that trip, and then came back to record “When You Love Someone”, “Hallelujah”, “We Can Work It Out”, and “Hero” over six months later.
There’s the technical stuff; beneath the surface of that, this project has been such a sweet thing for my soul. Experiences like tracking “Hallelujah” live; Ian a couple feet away playing piano, me standing in a vocal booth, eyes squeezed shut, wishing it were longer than four minutes. Something so special to be a part of as well was seeing “Hero” take on new life-- along with the if-only-I-had-a-penny-every-time-I-sang-it songs “All I Need” and “Beautiful”. When the opportunity to cover a Beatles song came up, my Mom (it’s an understatement to say she’s a Beatlemaniac) almost instantly blurted out, “’We Can Work It Out’! You should do that one!”
All that to say, it’s been a blessing to get to sing these words again, to watch and be a part of them growing and reaching places now they wouldn’t have before. The biggest blessing, however, is that they are… well… quieter. I love making records, don’t get me wrong; but when there’s only a piano, or only a guitar and a vocal, it seems truer to what happens in my room at 2am.
This has been a blessing for me, and so my deepest hope is that it is to you as well. Not that you’d be wowed by a lot of production, or distracted by new material, but that you’d be able to sit back and hear His voice in these songs. He’s probably able to speak better to you when everything’s turned off (that may not be the wisest marketing move there, but I believe it), but when you do decide to press play on something, I’m praying right now that He’d stir you up through these very simple sounds.
Be blessed.
Beth
P.S. Bethany recently married Shane Barnard of Shane and Shane fame.
Artist Links
Bethany Dillon Online
Bethany @ MySpace
Bethany on Facebook
