Alanna and Alicia – Heart Song Listen

After a global pandemic, six Melbourne lockdowns, broken bones, house moves, a Creative Victoria Music Works grant, and the birth of Alicia and Ben’s beautiful baby daughter, Elodie, twin sister singer songwriters, Alanna and Alicia have finally finished their much anticipated fifth album, ‘Heart Song Listen.’

Melbourne twin sisters, Alanna & Alicia are excited to release their fifth original album, ‘Heart Song Listen,’ produced with the support of a Creative Victoria Music Works grant.

Alanna & Alicia captivate audiences wherever they play with their original folky/jazz/ roots songs, their sweet harmonies and twin banter.

Both are gifted songwriters who have won awards at national level, including Best New Talent at Port Fairy Folk Festival earlier in their career. Their lyrics, equal parts heart and humour, sparkle with an original, intimate voice as they explore world and personal issues. As identical twins, their rich, intuitive vocal blend, creates the magical close harmonies unique to siblings.

On their much anticipated fifth album, ‘Heart Song Listen,’ they sing about current issues such as experiences in lockdown, the effects of global warming and sea level rise, as well as personal songs about their grandmother’s battle with dementia and the emotional experience of miscarriage, contrasting with upbeat, fun songs such as the vibrant, Everybody Dances in New Orleans, the quirky, uptempo tune, The Teetotaller and the whimsical title song, Heart Song Listen.

 

The album was recorded by brilliant sound engineer, Myles Mumford at Rolling Stock Recording Rooms in Collingwood, Melbourne.

Alanna & Alicia’s band features the fine talents of Damien Neil, guitar, Silas Palmer, violin and piano, Sarah Busuttil, violin, and several guest musicians including, Robbie Melville, electric guitar, Steve Grant, cornet and double bass, Matiss Schubert, mandolin and Ian Smith, drums and washboard. Andy Baylor collaborated with Alanna, by writing and playing the music for the wistful track, ‘Waiting in the Wings,’ while Alanna wrote the words.

On the new album Alanna and Alicia explore a wide range of personal and current world issues, including their grandmother’s battle with dementia, the emotional experience of miscarriage, life in lockdown, the effects of global warming and sea level rise, contrasting with upbeat fun songs like quirky uptempo tune, The Teetotaller, vibrant travel song, Everybody Dances in New Orleans and the whimsical title song, Heart Song Listen. In one set Alanna and Alicia can make you laugh or shed a tear.

 

Alanna and Alicia – Heart Song Listen

CD review by Tony Smith

TN162 Mar 24

This 2023 album by these remarkable singers and songwriters might well be described as a post-Covid effort, but perhaps more pleasantly ‘post-Elodie’ (Alicia and Ben’s baby).

The identical twin Egan girls began to make an impression on the Australian music scene around 2015 when they were young performers of the year at the National Folk Festival.

Since then, besides having many amazing personal experiences, they have released CDs, delighted festival audiences and toured internationally.

The vocalists and songwriters are supported by instrumentalists Damien Neil (guitar), Silas Palmer (violin, piano), Sarah Busutill (violin), Robbie Melville (electric guitar), Andy Baylor (guitar, violin), Steve Grant (cornet, double bass), Matiss Schubert (mandolin), Ian Smith (drums, washboard), Mark Elton, Phillip Rex (both double bass), Jonathan Hunt (clarinet), Sam O’Halloran (guitar), Max Teakle (piano) and Alice Hurford (cello).

They also acknowledge lyric and music input from Baylor, Nicola Watson and Jimmy Foster.

Myles Mumford has recording, mixing, mastering and production credits.

‘Heart song listen’ (Alanna), ‘Borrowed time’ (Alicia) and ‘The teetotaller’ (Alanna) washed over me somewhat before ‘Secret pocket’ (Alicia) got me hooked.

Nicola Watson is a Melbourne songwriter who should be better known.

Her ‘Windmills’ was a good choice for the A & A harmony.

‘Sincerely, Covid’ (Alanna) is a clever song in which Covid takes on a personality.

It warns that ‘before lockdown you thought you ruled this town… I’m the silent virus/ I creep deserted streets … vaccine you’ll never catch me… sincerely Covid 19’.

‘Everybody dances in New Orleans’(Alicia) is a more upbeat track and makes a good contrast with the more wistful songs.

‘Sing for Tuvalu’ (Alicia and Ben Henley) is dedicated to all Pacific Islands neighbours and friends.

It has a nice, rolling relaxed feel.

Imagine sailing across a placid sea.

‘Waiting in the wings’ (music by Baylor, lyrics by Alanna) is very much a lullaby.

In contrast to the message from Covid, this one says in second person: ‘you’re a song, waiting to be sung, mmm, mmm, mmm’.

It is in gentle free form and ends ‘back then you had no idea, your song could disappear, in these lost and lonely years’.

‘Women be wise’ has a brass and piano introduction that takes you back to New Orleans – or at least mid twentieth century America, when the likes of the Andrews sisters were showing off their harmonies in boogie-woogie style.

This track has Alanna and Alicia in a stronger vein and the listening is easier here.

At the 2024 Cobargo Folk Festival, Alanna and Alicia packed the halls.

At one point, their Mum was outside, half-listening while nursing her young grandchild.

Appropriately, Alanna and Alicia thank first their ‘Mumager, Maudie’.

You do not get to be this accomplished, this young, unless you have tremendous family support.

he album is a great achievement for all concerned, but especially of course, for Alanna and Alicia.

 

Ed. Alanna and Alicia currently have four albums available for sale on the Trad&Now website, three of which have been uploaded to Trad&Now Live! and can be heard there from time to time.