I first met Michelle when I was recommended to fill in on guitar at a gig with her band 'Intensity' in a northern Victorian pub. This was the kind of gig she had done hundreds if not thousands of times before. We played rock covers in a beer garden with lit fires in 44 gallon drums. The crowd was no nonsense. Tough country folk that work hard and have a night or 2 a week to let their hair down and raise some hell. There stood Michelle belting out songs, even asking if they had requests. Charming them all with her energy and voice. Her authentic 'rock' vibe.

After some time of knowing her and more gigs I asked about her original music. Did she have songs? Oh yes she did. Stories and pages of her life. Heartfelt songs. Love, loss, raising children and about being a road warrior woman which she most certainly is.

Some of these songs had been recorded in the past but she wished they could be redone. When I heard the songs I was struck by the stories, the emotion behind it, the catchy melodies and thought these songs deserve to be more widely heard.

I offered to record one song. I worked out a groove with the drums, played bass, guitars and keyboards. I changed the chords, the harmony underneath above which she would sing, in an attempt to make them more epic, more sophisticated..

Then I presented her the song (Shining Armour) and in one take, she sang it through. We were both so enthused by the result I suggested I redo all her songs she had recorded previously and write some new ones for her too.

Michelle is a classic pro singer. She is real, raw and all heart. She doesn't do multiple takes to get things right. There is no auto tuning manipulation as there is on most modern recordings. I too played my parts, recording with the same spirit and spontaneity in layering up the songs with sounds and instruments. The guitar solos are improvisations, not preconceived. I wanted the album to sound and feel like a classic rock album of yesteryear. Real and honest. That's when music is powerful. And there were guitar solos!!

Two of Michelle's singer friends, Tracy and Jo, graciously added some harmonies on a few songs and had great energy and ideas.

This is an album that ventures into different sonic areas such as pop, blues, soul, folk, country and rock. A collection of songs reflecting important chapters in Michelle's life that hopefully anyone can relate to.

For those of you familiar with her earlier work, give this a listen. These songs are born anew. The melodies and lyrics are the only things that remain from those. The early works have been completely reinterpreted and re written.

Put it on and have a groove along.

If you're out and about in a country hotel or club somewhere in rural Australia, check to see if it's 'Intensity' playing and say hi to Michelle. More than that, we hope we can present this music live with a killer band and come to your town.

We hope you can feel the joy we felt in making these songs herein.

Nigel Date 28th February 2024...