Tracks
1. Swimming With Sharks
2. Remember This?
3. Was It Something You Said?
4. Somebody Loves Me (Gershwin)
5. Last Night
6. It's Alright To Be Blue
7. Hello (Richie)
8. If I Were A Bell (Loesser)
9. Chet
10. You Don't Know What Love Is (Rave & De Paul)
11. Horizons
12. Shifting Sands
13. Piece Of My Heart (Raganov & Berns)
14. Green Places
15. Fine And Mellow (Holliday)
All tracks written and composed by R. Koral & S. Hawker except where stated otherwise.
Artists
Sue Hawker - Vocals
Rob Koral - Accoustic and Electric GuitarEngineer - Tony Arnold at Courthouse Facilities
Cover Photography - Steve Catlin
Cover Design - Ian Sedwell MultimediaAbout the Album
It's Alright To Be Blue is the third album Sue Hawker and Rob Koral recorded as a duo. Essential early hours listening, this beautifully understated album reveals the relationship between two artists who have written and performed together for decades. Koral unplugs his electric for most tracks, preferring instead the accoustic flavour of the classical guitar. Of the original compositions, stand out tracks include Shifting Sands and Horizons. An eclectic mix of cover tracks, including Piece Of My Heart and Gershwin's Somebody Loves Me hold out a welcome for those new to Rob and Sue's unique style. A treat not to be missed for all midnight jazz and blues lovers. Served chilled and enjoy!
"Why did we record Piece of My Heart on a jazz CD? Many people remember Janice Joplin's belting blues version. They may also remember an 80's pop ballad Hello by Lionel Richie. What's the connection between these and the classic Holliday blues Fine and Mellow? Well, they're all great songs, and I love them! Anyway, what makes a jazz performance if not passion and a certain something.... For me, a wonderful lyric and its accompanying melody can be transposed into any genre."
-Sue Hawker
"This is the third album that Sue and I have recorded as a duo- this being a format that we enjoy and often gig. We hadn't planned exactly which songs to record before entering the studio, we just decided as we went along. I suppose that kind of flexibility is a benefit of playing together for many years.
From a technical point of view, this was the first time I have ever played a nylon strung guitar. The original idea was to use it for one song, perhaps two. But we liked it so much, we just kept the tape rolling. I enjoyed the feel of playing a different instrument so much that I didn't mind sacrificing technique, I just let the instrument tell me what I could play on it.
Another thing I've noticed overthe period we've been recording together is that I have been relinquishing the pick almost totally and evolving a fingerstyle technique. It's not been a conscious thing, it's just crept up on me!
I feel especially proud of our original songs, such as Was It Something You Said and Shifting Sands. It's Alright To Be Blue was composed in the studio - almost in real time!"-Rob Koral
