Sunday Telegraph- 15th April 2012
Apr 15, 2012 6:03:54 GMT 10
Post by Smiley on Apr 15, 2012 6:03:54 GMT 10
Australian Idol Winner Stands Firm on Middle Ground
WHEN he edged out Australian Idol favourite Jessica Mauboy in 2006, Damien Leith became one of the most unlikely - and respected - winners in the reality TV show's seven-year run.
Already a veteran of family and pub bands, he parlayed his win into an ongoing music career, finding success with a mix of original releases and covers albums.
After his passion project, the 2009 album Remember June underperformed, he again hit the upper reaches of the charts with his last release Roy: A Tribute To Roy Orbison, endorsed by the singer's widow.
His latest album Now and Then treads a middle path - half originals and half songs by the Travelling Wilburys and the members who made up the supergroup: Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne.
It was a good compromise, says Leith, who wanted to flex his songwriting muscles as well as offering enough cover tracks to appeal to fans of his last album.
"After the Roy album, which did a lot better than any of us thought, it was a tough decision what to do," the father-of-three says.
"Over the past couple of years, one thing that has really stood out for me is that as much as the people who come to my shows support the original stuff I do, I also can't deny that certain covers suit me well and those people want to hear them. It's important to give your audience what they want as well - but the covers have to be meaningful and have a connection to me."
The Irish-Australian's 2009 originals album Remember June was his least successful but something he was really passionate about.
Leith, 36, maintains he's still proud of the album, but admitted its commercial failure served as a wake-up call.
"I was disappointed that it didn't do better," he says. "I love the album and the songs on it but it was hard to get them on the radio so it was a bit of a reality hit for me as well."
One original song he insisted on including was Beautiful, which he re-recorded five years after writing it.
"Last year Estee Lauder used that song all around the world to promote their perfume Beautiful and all the feedback I was getting was crazy," Leith says. "Someone put up the original version on YouTube and overnight it went up to 49,000 hits from people searching it out because it was on an ad. So it felt like a good time to revisit it."
Leith says he would think twice about releasing another originals album, but had found a balance with Now and Then and felt it was a natural progression following Roy.
"I grew up on the Travelling Wilburys and Roy Orbison," Leith says. "I have always been a Bob Dylan fan and have sung his stuff in the past so to revisit that is perfect for me.
"We used to play Tom Petty in my band about 15 years ago. It's a collection of songwriters I am really familiar with and really respected them so it was a very easy transition to come out with this album." Leith says some songs on the album were simply not open to reinterpretation, but adding a slightly different element to certain songs gave them a point of difference.
"It's hard to know - if you go too far away from the original then you tend to polarise people," he says. "I try to be true to the original so people don't say 'wow, I can't believe what you did that song'. But if you can add something and give it a point of difference, then I think that's a good thing. Some of these songs you just wouldn't change though."
Now and Then is out Friday. Leith performs at the State Theatre on October 6. Bookings: 1300 139 588 or ticketmaster.com.au
WHEN he edged out Australian Idol favourite Jessica Mauboy in 2006, Damien Leith became one of the most unlikely - and respected - winners in the reality TV show's seven-year run.
Already a veteran of family and pub bands, he parlayed his win into an ongoing music career, finding success with a mix of original releases and covers albums.
After his passion project, the 2009 album Remember June underperformed, he again hit the upper reaches of the charts with his last release Roy: A Tribute To Roy Orbison, endorsed by the singer's widow.
His latest album Now and Then treads a middle path - half originals and half songs by the Travelling Wilburys and the members who made up the supergroup: Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne.
It was a good compromise, says Leith, who wanted to flex his songwriting muscles as well as offering enough cover tracks to appeal to fans of his last album.
"After the Roy album, which did a lot better than any of us thought, it was a tough decision what to do," the father-of-three says.
"Over the past couple of years, one thing that has really stood out for me is that as much as the people who come to my shows support the original stuff I do, I also can't deny that certain covers suit me well and those people want to hear them. It's important to give your audience what they want as well - but the covers have to be meaningful and have a connection to me."
The Irish-Australian's 2009 originals album Remember June was his least successful but something he was really passionate about.
Leith, 36, maintains he's still proud of the album, but admitted its commercial failure served as a wake-up call.
"I was disappointed that it didn't do better," he says. "I love the album and the songs on it but it was hard to get them on the radio so it was a bit of a reality hit for me as well."
One original song he insisted on including was Beautiful, which he re-recorded five years after writing it.
"Last year Estee Lauder used that song all around the world to promote their perfume Beautiful and all the feedback I was getting was crazy," Leith says. "Someone put up the original version on YouTube and overnight it went up to 49,000 hits from people searching it out because it was on an ad. So it felt like a good time to revisit it."
Leith says he would think twice about releasing another originals album, but had found a balance with Now and Then and felt it was a natural progression following Roy.
"I grew up on the Travelling Wilburys and Roy Orbison," Leith says. "I have always been a Bob Dylan fan and have sung his stuff in the past so to revisit that is perfect for me.
"We used to play Tom Petty in my band about 15 years ago. It's a collection of songwriters I am really familiar with and really respected them so it was a very easy transition to come out with this album." Leith says some songs on the album were simply not open to reinterpretation, but adding a slightly different element to certain songs gave them a point of difference.
"It's hard to know - if you go too far away from the original then you tend to polarise people," he says. "I try to be true to the original so people don't say 'wow, I can't believe what you did that song'. But if you can add something and give it a point of difference, then I think that's a good thing. Some of these songs you just wouldn't change though."
Now and Then is out Friday. Leith performs at the State Theatre on October 6. Bookings: 1300 139 588 or ticketmaster.com.au
aka @just_Leithal on Twitter 
It was a BRILLIANT album! and still is as far as I'm concerned. But we can't keep dwelling in the past and must move on as well I suppose, I'll always play it, love it and cherish it!! ;D I also wonder how Damien feels about us (DLO) talking about RJ so much? whether he likes us still talking about it and comparing it to other albums, or whether he'd much prefer us to quiely love it and keep our thoughts to ourselves most of the time! it must be a constant reminder to him of it's commercial failure!! 
oh to be young again!!! 
that put a smile on my face to see so many random people (not DLOer's) liking D's own music as well. ;D
I like that photo you posted too Smiley, very nice!! 
(I couldn't find it on CM online.)
That's my main concern here, as well as the direction. I understand why, I guess I just don't like it. 
