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ARTiST: Ed Kowalczyk ALBUM: Alive BiTRATE: 216kbps avg QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz LABEL: Ear Music GENRE: Rock SiZE: 65.45 megs PLAYTiME: 0h 40min 03sec total RiP DATE: 2010-07-10 STORE DATE: 2010-07-09 Track List: -------- 01. Drive 3:36 02. The Great Beyond 3:23 03. Grace 3:14 04. Stand 3:33 05. Drink (Everlasting Love) 3:10 06. Zion 4:06 07. In Your Light 4:24 08. Just In Time 3:09 09. Rome 3:39 10. Soul Whispers 3:51 11. Fire On The Mountain 3:58 Release Notes: -------- In mid-2008, Ed Kowalczyk found himself in an unfamiliar situation. As the singer and songwriting force behind the multi-platinum rock band Live, Kowalczyk had been playing music professionally for nearly two decades. But for the first time in his life, Kowalczyk felt no urgency to write songs or have anything to do with music for that matter. ôI was in a malaise about the whole thing,ö Kowalczyk says. ôI felt like I had done everything I wanted to do and wasnÆt sure if I wanted to re-engage.ö A contemplative person by nature, Kowalczyk turned inward for a period of soul-searching. ôThen, out of nowhere, I got this incredible inspiration to do it again in this new way,ö he says. ôI realized that one of the limitations I was experiencing was the fact that IÆd been doing it the same way for so long that I wondered what would happen if I challenged myself and tried things differently. From then on, it was like uncorking a bottle that had been shaken and it exploded into this writing fervor.ö The result of that burst of inspiration is KowalczykÆs debut solo album Alive ù a collection of powerful, melodic rock songs that represents KowalczykÆs renaissance as a vocalist and songwriter, while retaining the searching lyrical qualities and emotional uplift that have made him beloved by fans the world over. ôIt is a reinvention of my sound,ö Kowalczyk says, ôbut, thematically, Alive is very much vintage me. The material is dark at times, but itÆs not depressing. IÆve always been a big fan of Peter Gabriel because he can capture a feeling of darkness, but also give you this intense feeling of hope as well.ö Knowing he wanted to make a rock record, rather than an acoustic affair, Kowalczyk turned to a friend, Texas-based producer and engineer CJ Eiriksson, who has worked with Live, Phish, and Incubus, among others. ôCJ said, æIÆve got this full set-up down in Austin and am plugged in with all these great musicians. Come make your record here,Æö Kowalczyk recalls. ôSo I went down there trusting him to put me with whomever he thought was great, and, sure enough, he totally went over the top with it.ö Eiriksson brought in lead guitarist James Gabbie, bassist Chris Heerlein, and drummer Ramy Antoun, whose combined experience and technical abilities meant rock-solid performances, which lend the proceedings a more musically sophisticated air than anything Kowalczyk has recorded prior. ôWhat IÆve noticed about the new stuff is that the space in the music is being interpreted differently,ö Kowalczyk says. ôBy space, I mean where there isnÆt a lyric or something going on melodically. How that space gets interpreted is really where a musicianÆs talent and genius come through and thatÆs where this record has a lot of different aspects going on.ö The best example of KowalczykÆs new direction on Alive is ôThe Great Beyond.ö ôBecause of RamyÆs playing, it went to this dance rock place that was really exciting,ö Kowalczyk says. ôHere was a song that I could have easily written eight years ago and had it sound one way, but Ramy brought a totally fresh perspective. ThatÆs when I knew I had done the right thing for myself as an artist, which was to break out and not rest on a style I was used to.ö Lyrically, ôThe Great Beyondö addresses an idea that permeates the entire album: ôThe song is about having no boundaries and heading off into the unknown ù a place youÆre unsure of, but that feels free,ö Kowalczyk says. Other songs carry on the theme of letting go: On ôDriveö Kowalczyk sings about falling asleep at the wheel and letting inspiration take over, while ôZionö is a call to meditation and contemplation. Then thereÆs ôDrink (Everlasting Love)ö ù a song Kowalczyk wrote with Chris Daughtry, a friend he describes as ôan incredible melodist and writer.ö ôThat song is ultimately about my faith,ö Kowalczyk says, ôbut I always like to leave a door open for people to respond to my lyrics in the way that feels natural to them. That's the beauty of the language of music, it is the universal language of the heart.ö Finally, AliveÆs first single is ôGrace,ö which Kowalczyk says was inspired by watching the news coverage of the devastating January earthquake in Haiti. ôEvery time something like that happens you get this onslaught of images,ö Kowalczyk says. ôMost of them were obviously very tragic, but there were also these perceptible moments where there was a sparkle in someoneÆs eye. I picked up on it as this really heartfelt thing that felt like a silver lining of hope or love amidst this incredible disaster. I wanted to write about that and make sense of it.ö ôGraceö was produced by Greg Wattenberg, who has worked with Daughtry, Train, and Five For Fighting, among others. ôHeÆs a visionary co-writer and producer who challenged me to see guitars and song structure in a different way,ö Kowalczyk says. ôThat song has a lot of emotional weight and I feel like it really represents this new era of my life.ö To fans of Live, KowalczykÆs backstory is well-documented. After forming the band in 1988 with three middle-school friends in York, PA, Live went on to become an international sensation, selling more than 20 million albums. Two albums, 1994Æs Throwing Copper and 1997Æs Secret Samadhi, reached No. 1 on BillboardÆs Top 200 album chart. The band also scored five No. 1 singles (including the blockbuster ôI Aloneö) and nine Top 10 singles. Kowalczyk hadnÆt been in the recording studio since making LiveÆs last studio album, 2006Æs Songs From Black Mountain. When his songwriting muse returned in early 2009, Kowalczyk hit the road for a series of solo acoustic shows that re-ignited his love for performing. ôI fell in love with it all over again because I discovered a new capacity in myself to build a rapport with people that you just donÆt get when youÆre on stage with the big rock band,ö he says. ôBut I also fell in love with writing at the same time, so it was really personal, emotional, and creative process.ö The result, of course, is Alive, which Kowalczyk feels truly represents who he is as an artist. ôThere are moments on it where I get as close to how I feel about myself as IÆve every gotten in my songwriting,ö he says, ômoments when I feel like IÆve really connected to something in myself that, for whatever reason, IÆm compelled to share with others. As an artist, thatÆs about the best you can hope for." 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ARTiST: Ed Kowalczyk ALBUM: Alive BiTRATE: 216kbps avg QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz LABEL: Ear Music GENRE: Rock SiZE: 65.45 megs PLAYTiME: 0h 40min 03sec total RiP DATE: 2010-07-10 STORE DATE: 2010-07-09 Track List: -------- 01. Drive 3:36 02. The Great Beyond 3:23 03. Grace 3:14 04. Stand 3:33 05. Drink (Everlasting Love) 3:10 06. Zion 4:06 07. In Your Light 4:24 08. Just In Time 3:09 09. Rome 3:39 10. Soul Whispers 3:51 11. Fire On The Mountain 3:58 Release Notes: -------- In mid-2008, Ed Kowalczyk found himself in an unfamiliar situation. As the singer and songwriting force behind the multi-platinum rock band Live, Kowalczyk had been playing music professionally for nearly two decades. But for the first time in his life, Kowalczyk felt no urgency to write songs or have anything to do with music for that matter. I was in a malaise about the whole thing, Kowalczyk says. I felt like I had done everything I wanted to do and wasnt sure if I wanted to re-engage. A contemplative person by nature, Kowalczyk turned inward for a period of soul-searching. Then, out of nowhere, I got this incredible inspiration to do it again in this new way, he says. I realized that one of the limitations I was experiencing was the fact that Id been doing it the same way for so long that I wondered what would happen if I challenged myself and tried things differently. From then on, it was like uncorking a bottle that had been shaken and it exploded into this writing fervor. The result of that burst of inspiration is Kowalczyks debut solo album Alive a collection of powerful, melodic rock songs that represents Kowalczyks renaissance as a vocalist and songwriter, while retaining the searching lyrical qualities and emotional uplift that have made him beloved by fans the world over. It is a reinvention of my sound, Kowalczyk says, but, thematically, Alive is very much vintage me. The material is dark at times, but its not depressing. Ive always been a big fan of Peter Gabriel because he can capture a feeling of darkness, but also give you this intense feeling of hope as well. Knowing he wanted to make a rock record, rather than an acoustic affair, Kowalczyk turned to a friend, Texas-based producer and engineer CJ Eiriksson, who has worked with Live, Phish, and Incubus, among others. CJ said, Ive got this full set-up down in Austin and am plugged in with all these great musicians. Come make your record here, Kowalczyk recalls. So I went down there trusting him to put me with whomever he thought was great, and, sure enough, he totally went over the top with it. Eiriksson brought in lead guitarist James Gabbie, bassist Chris Heerlein, and drummer Ramy Antoun, whose combined experience and technical abilities meant rock-solid performances, which lend the proceedings a more musically sophisticated air than anything Kowalczyk has recorded prior. What Ive noticed about the new stuff is that the space in the music is being interpreted differently, Kowalczyk says. By space, I mean where there isnt a lyric or something going on melodically. How that space gets interpreted is really where a musicians talent and genius come through and thats where this record has a lot of different aspects going on. The best example of Kowalczyks new direction on Alive is The Great Beyond. Because of Ramys playing, it went to this dance rock place that was really exciting, Kowalczyk says. Here was a song that I could have easily written eight years ago and had it sound one way, but Ramy brought a totally fresh perspective. Thats when I knew I had done the right thing for myself as an artist, which was to break out and not rest on a style I was used to. Lyrically, The Great Beyond addresses an idea that permeates the entire album: The song is about having no boundaries and heading off into the unknown a place youre unsure of, but that feels free, Kowalczyk says. Other songs carry on the theme of letting go: On Drive Kowalczyk sings about falling asleep at the wheel and letting inspiration take over, while Zion is a call to meditation and contemplation. Then theres Drink (Everlasting Love) a song Kowalczyk wrote with Chris Daughtry, a friend he describes as an incredible melodist and writer. That song is ultimately about my faith, Kowalczyk says, but I always like to leave a door open for people to respond to my lyrics in the way that feels natural to them. That's the beauty of the language of music, it is the universal language of the heart. Finally, Alives first single is Grace, which Kowalczyk says was inspired by watching the news coverage of the devastating January earthquake in Haiti. Every time something like that happens you get this onslaught of images, Kowalczyk says. Most of them were obviously very tragic, but there were also these perceptible moments where there was a sparkle in someones eye. I picked up on it as this really heartfelt thing that felt like a silver lining of hope or love amidst this incredible disaster. I wanted to write about that and make sense of it. Grace was produced by Greg Wattenberg, who has worked with Daughtry, Train, and Five For Fighting, among others. Hes a visionary co-writer and producer who challenged me to see guitars and song structure in a different way, Kowalczyk says. That song has a lot of emotional weight and I feel like it really represents this new era of my life. To fans of Live, Kowalczyks backstory is well-documented. After forming the band in 1988 with three middle-school friends in York, PA, Live went on to become an international sensation, selling more than 20 million albums. Two albums, 1994s Throwing Copper and 1997s Secret Samadhi, reached No. 1 on Billboards Top 200 album chart. The band also scored five No. 1 singles (including the blockbuster I Alone) and nine Top 10 singles. Kowalczyk hadnt been in the recording studio since making Lives last studio album, 2006s Songs From Black Mountain. When his songwriting muse returned in early 2009, Kowalczyk hit the road for a series of solo acoustic shows that re-ignited his love for performing. I fell in love with it all over again because I discovered a new capacity in myself to build a rapport with people that you just dont get when youre on stage with the big rock band, he says. But I also fell in love with writing at the same time, so it was really personal, emotional, and creative process. The result, of course, is Alive, which Kowalczyk feels truly represents who he is as an artist. There are moments on it where I get as close to how I feel about myself as Ive every gotten in my songwriting, he says, moments when I feel like Ive really connected to something in myself that, for whatever reason, Im compelled to share with others. As an artist, thats about the best you can hope for." This NFO File was rendered by NFOmation.net
