Personal reference to great songwriters
Successful Shiregreen album “References” is a fascinating journey through 50 years of songwriting
Could it be? An album full of new, previously unreleased songs by songwriter legends such as Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, Neil Young, Bob Dylan or Tom Petty? Well, of course not. But when putting on „References“, the new record by Shiregreen, you can actually meet all these great artists again. Songwriter and singer Klaus Adamaschek put forth all his creativity, courage and emotion to memorialize his musical heroes and companions – not with cover versions, but with reference songs written by him. „References“ is a , captivating, moving concept album – and a lot of fun to listen to.
For over three years 65-year old songwriter Klaus Adamaschek, who coined his first songs when he was only 12 years old, worked on his project “REFERENCES – SONGS ABOUT SONGWRITERS“. “I wanted to pay my reverence to all the great songwriters that shaped me as an artist and accompanied me over the years. At the same time, I wanted my audience to feel the roots from which not only my music, but also the attitude towards life of my generation is based on”, Adamaschek says about his motives. The German philologist and lifelong musician already proved that he knows the ins and outs of writing songs with his previous ten studio recordings, and also by winning the international songwriting contest “Comprosers” in 2008 and successfully touring the Western United States in 2011 and 2019.
Every track on „References“ is dedicated to a famous songwriter, and each song tells a story of its own. Adamaschek often comments on touching episodes from the musicians’ lives – but at the same time, he also weaves these stories together with his own biography. In classical songwriting fashion, the songs are about important encounters, painful changes in life and and wondrous personal transformations. Each and every track is infused with quotations of and allusions to the works of his heroes, to the delight of the listeners that can revel in their own memories.
Musically, the album is tremendously versatile – Adamaschek consciously and proficiently plays with the defining stylistical characteristics of the artists portrayed, thus creating many moments in which the listener is heavily reminded of the musical role models at the heart of the song. And still, each song remains a typical Shiregreen song shapes by Adamaschek’s warm, folky voice, delightful harmonies and the relaxed, confident sound of the Shiregreen band. All nine musicians contributing to the record are making sure that each of the 15 tracks on “References” is a distinct songwriting gem.
Also remarkable is the lovingly designed album artwork. The 36-page booklet offers two pages of space for every song – alongside the original English lyrics, a German translation, liner notes and song-specific artworks are provided. The dedication of the whole Shiregreen team – from songwriter and musicians to photographers, graphic artists and the other members of the production team – becomes evident in each detail. All parties involved have pulled together to make „References“ a consistent, convincing work of art.
“References“ was recorded by Wolfgang Manns at the renowned Toolhouse Studio in Rotenburg an der Fulda, Germany und was released March 29, 2019.The album was highly praised by audiences and critics and was "Album of the Month" on several major German radio stations.
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