Welcome to Tradconnect’s Worldwide Album Launch Series. For these launches we are working with 100 radio broadcasters globally, making new traditional releases available for immediate free download through our Download Centre. For artists this makes an online launch a truly global event, with radio stations around the world gaining instant access to the album.

SING is the new release by Jennifer Licko.  Jennifer is an exceptional vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who plays the piano, guitar, and bodhrán (Irish drum). After living almost a decade in Scotland and Ireland, Jennifer realized the strong similarites between Scotland and North Carolina...and her music began to branch out into a genre which honors those connections.

“I believe that the music needs to connect with the audience through our shared emotions and experiences in order for us all to feel that which can only be experienced through music. With some songs, I believe that the power of music can be stronger than the power of the lyrics; and the power of the language is stronger than the power of the notes.”

Celebrating a genre that is neither purely Scots Gaelic or Appalachian, this album represents the evolution of today’s crossroads. She sings Scots Gaelic dance & work songs from the perspective of the music’s adopted home in the Carolinas.  Her songs in English about love and loss find resonance in the modern world.  The sound on this album could only have taken root from a North Carolina native who spent her childhood years Scottish dancing.

Following the successful reception of her ‘A Thousand Curses Upon Love’ which won Celtic Album of the Year by Celtic Music Radio in Boston, Jennifer was ready to record an album that felt a little closer to home.  Band member and Irish guitarist Patsy O’Brien, decided the two should collaborate on her next album.

The outcome was ‘SING’ and this is Track 2 called “Light the Way”.

Vocal Recording sessions took place in Brazil with Grammy award winning engineer, Mauricio Cajueiro. British producer Bob Noble, who has produced four of Jennifer’s six albums, was called in to collaborate via FaceTime.

Patsy O’Brien played most of the instrumental parts at his studio in Minnesota and approached the song arrangements with the musical traditions of the appalachian region in mind.

Patrick Mangan, fiddle player and musical director for Riverdance, also tours with The Jennifer Licko Band.  With the help of the Riverdance sound engineer, Patrick was able to set up studios in hotels around the nation while on tour with Riverdance. Another nice contribution to the album is four time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Dylan Foley, who also tours with The Jennifer Licko Band.  

A last minute addition to the album was Irish musician Ronan Moloney who just happens to live in the same Brazilian town as Licko.  Licko recounts the story, “I literally ran into him at a party during my last week of recording the album.  I asked if he could come into the studio next week for one song and to my delight he was more than happy to add a few flute and bodhran tracks”.

SING features two idiosyncrasies of The Jennifer Licko Band, one influenced by Scottish Folk music and language, and one by the Appalachian folk music of America.  Both come from the same seeds that are deeply rooted in Jennifer’s world. The songs on SING are the branches that cover many current and past generations of Scottish people and culture in North Carolina.

The album is now on release and can be purchased from www.jenniferlicko.com

Download from from www.jenniferlicko.bandcamp.com

The album is also available as a free download for broadcasters that are part of our Download Centre.

Musicians :

Jennifer Licko - Lead and backing Vocals

Patsy O’Brien - Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Whistle, Percussion and backing Vocals

Patrick Mangan - Fiddle

Dylan Foley - Fiddle

Ronan Moloney - Flute and Bodhrán

All songs produced and arranged by Patsy O’Brien

Mixed by Patsy O’Brien and Robert Noble

Vocal production by Robert Noble

Vocal Engineering by Mauricio Cajueiro

Vocals Recorded at Cajueiro Studios & Cristal Studios in Campinas, Brazil

Scots Gaelic Coaching by Ann Paterson

Photography by Peggy Cormary

Cover Design by Jennifer Licko

Tradconnect's Worldwide Launch Articles are commercial articles that mark the addition of an album to our Download Centre, where broadcasters can access the album and download it for free to play on their various radio stations. Content for these articles is sourced from the artists press release and liner notes, supplemented with additional content from the artist as required. If you would like to find out more about this initiative please contact us.