Description
For some 15+ years I’ve been promising to write a Christmas album….it’s finally here! Today is the official release date for Embrace The Season. Australia is a diverse society and there are so many differing views, beliefs, opinions about the season. Consequently there are so many different ways that Christmas is celebrated here. I’ve endeavoured to reflect that diversity in the content of the album.
It consists mostly of originals in a variety of different flavours – ballad, folk, blues, comedy – plus a couple of (not-so) traditional pieces that are favourites of mine. You can listen to the tracks on my Bandcamp page as follows: https://maureenobrien.bandcamp.com/album/embrace-the-season … If you like it, I invite you to purchase the album [or individual tracks if you prefer]….and please tell your friends!
Style
Contemporary singer/songwriter and touring performer, Maureen writes from the heart and sings it with passion. An interpretive vocalist, she has a rich, mellow vocal sound and selects material that best suits her vocal style. An evolving songwriter, her current work is a distinctive fusion of Jazz-Folk-Rock.
Performances
Maureen has performed in a variety of groups and duos as well as being an accomplished solo performer. Her performances occur in a wide variety of entertainment experiences such as:
- Tastings on the Terrace (Sunday afternoons in the vineyards).
- Wine and food festivals.
- Music festivals.
- Restaurants, cocktail functions, ‘lounge bar’ music, restaurants, dinner/theatre shows.
- Dedicated concerts and Charity events/functions
- Parties and boutique music sessions.
Live performances with her support bands are dynamic. She likes to give her musicians ‘room to breathe’ so every performance reflects a freedom to explore different approaches to selected material. The line-ups vary as she selects musicians from an extensive pool of talent to suit individual gigs. Her solo performances are described as ‘warm and intimate’.
Material
As a songwriter Maureen writes from the heart and interprets from the soul. She has written and performed Classic Blues and Jazz, Folk-Rock, Jazz-Rock and Contemporary Folk and Blues genres. She has been a multi-finalist in the 1233 ABC Radio Newcastle Music Awards and her second album, Many Shades of Blue, was awarded the prestigious Trad&Now Magazine’s Best CD of 2006 in the Blues and Roots genre. Her third album, Luminous, and fourth album, Ebb & Flow, received regular airplay throughout community stations across Australia via selection by AMRAP for Album of the Month awards. Tracks from Luminous have also been selected for airplay oversees.
She has recorded single and EP projects for fundraising events, and written and recorded Musical Scores for Theatre works.
Memberships
Maureen has been writing and performing for more than a decade and is a fully-fledged writer member of the industry association, Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA).
Performance History
As a full time musician and creative artiste, Maureen’s performance biography is too extensive to list here. The fact that she is repeatedly invited back to perform at regular and annual events substantiates her establishment as a high quality entertainer. If you are considering engaging her services, contact her direct for testimonials
