20/11/13 HILLS NEWS - Dural Country Club Damien Leith Goes I

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www.hillsnews.com.au/story/1915229/dural-country-club-damien-leith-goes-indie/

Dural Country Club: Damien Leith goes indie
By Jessica Aquilina
Nov. 19, 2013, midnight




DAMIEN Leith has entered a new phase in his career.

He has stepped away from record label Sony BMG and jumped on the independent bandwagon with his new album, Chapter Seven.

Leith's seventh album includes 12 original songs and sees him return to his acoustic singer-songwriter roots.

"It's going back to a style where it's just me and my guitar," Leith said.

"It's more organic and stripped back.

"Putting the vocals more in front of the music."

The songs were penned and created in Leith's recording studio which he built himself.

He said the idea to go independent was decided after the studio was built.

"I felt like it was the right time," he said.

"I had the songs sitting there and I felt that I could do a good job.

"I am a very hands-on person and so I thought why not?"

The album covers many themes including love, loss and new chapters.

Leith said the album was very "positive".

"I usually write happy songs," he said.

"But I wasn't intentionally writing positive songs.

"I think it was done unintentionally when I was entering my independent phase."

To help produce the album, Leith asked some influential friends including famed producer and sound engineer David Nicholas, who has worked with Elton John and INXS, to mix the album and co-produce some of the tracks.

Joe Melson, the legendary songwriter who co-penned Roy Orbison's Only the Lonely and Crying, wrote two songs with Leith which also feature on the album.

Leith said it was an "amazing" experience to work with Melson.

"I spoke to his daughter recently and she said that I was the only person Joe had written songs with since Roy's passing," he said.

"She said that he didn't feel inspired by anyone else.

"We [Melson] got along really well and then we said that we should write songs together and we did.

"It was such an amazing experience."

Damien Leith will perform his new songs at Dural Country Club on Friday, December 6, from 8pm.

Tickets: $35. Details: 96511600 or duralcountryclub.com.au.