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Shannon
Noll
Website
Shannon
Noll official website
Shannon
Noll and Eva
Rinaldi
Bio
Lift
Shannon
Noll may have burst onto the public stage via Australian
Idol, but rather than trade on its short-lived glory
he covered it in dust? the dust of more than 100 live
shows spanning the breadth of the country. From Cairns
to Hobart, Adelaide to Darwin, Perth to Albany. From
large arenas of 12000 fans to tiny towns of 150 people,
Shannon hit the road, connecting with his vast, sprawling
audience the only way he knew how: straight from the
heart. For Noll, the experience was about repaying
the faith of the fans who made his debut album, 2004's
That's What I'm Talking About a five times Platinum
success that spawned three ARIA No. 1 Singles. Now,
with his stunning new album, LIFT, Shannon ups the
ante, successfully maturing from one of the country's
most popular entertainers to a singer who can truly
be regarded as an artist in his own right.
The
year spent on the road supporting his debut album
had a profound effect on the way LIFT took shape:
it reiterated Shannon's commitment to making an album
he could recreate live - "I think these days
with how technical recording is, you could burp 'God
Save The Queen' so that it sounds pretty well close
to the mark, but that's not what I'm about? for me,
touring separates the men from the boys" - and
it allowed him to build his own relationship with
his fanbase away from the television show that brought
him the attention in the first place. But perhaps
most critically, it taught Shannon to assume responsibility
for his career and trust his instincts.
"It
made me realise my neck's on the block with everything
I do - from my shows to writing and recording for
this album - so I've made it a real point to be across
everything that I possibly can. I listen to the advice
that's offered me? I'd be mad if I didn't, but then
I go with what I think needs to be done. On this album,
I've been in the studio for 13 hours straight on one
song just making sure I've got it right and that I'm
happy with it and that I can't do any better".
It's
that spirit that makes LIFT in every sense Shannon
Noll's creation. Whereas his debut featured just the
one co-writing credit, this time around Shannon has
co-written 11 of Lift's 13 tracks. What's astonishing
here is not only the sheer quality of the song writing
but the fact that Shannon's prior exposure to it was
pretty much limited to "mucking around in the
shed with my mates". But as with everything Shannon
does, whenever he's given an opportunity he grabs
it with both hands, to the extent that there's almost
a sense of pre-destiny to his music career. "When
I first started writing", says Shannon, "there
was an expectation I'd do two or three co-writes so
I could begin developing that side of myself. But
when we began sifting through the songs that I'd written,
they were stronger than a lot of the songs that we
received from outside writers. I co-wrote about 25
songs for this album, and I'm stoked to have 11 make
the finished album".
A
turning point for Shannon was his first writing trip
in Los Angeles, where he found himself sitting in
the room of one of the world's most successful songwriters.
"He said to me, 'This is your chance to tell
the world what you're about'. And I remember panicking
a bit and thinking, 'Who am I? And what do I want
to say? But then when I came back from that trip and
started listening to those songs again, I realised
I had this strong undertone of self-belief in a lot
of my songs, a sense of the need to stand up and be
counted, to live life in the moment, to rise above
its challenges and not dwell on the past".
It
was also the moment Shannon transformed from a singer
into an artist with his own, unique voice. "In
the past I never felt comfortable being called that
because I believe an artist is someone who creates
something from nothing. I was an entertainer. But
I'm comfortable with that label now because we've
created 10-12 songs from nothing. Just sat in a room
and come up with these songs. It's an amazing relief
to be able to say that, and I guess it's reaffirmed
the belief that I had in myself that this was all
supposed to be".
LIFT
resonates with the sensation of an artist shaping
with his own words and music. It's no coincidence
Shannon has shifted from the grunt and huskiness we
are used to and infusing them with a direct and soulful
rock grittiness, for these are songs that speak directly
from the heart. Lacquered with a pop sheen, and dripping
with radio friendly hooks, LIFT is a rock album with
an emphasis on feel rather than tempo, where melodies
burn to climax and Shannon's voice radiates every
shade of emotion. An album of stunning depth, LIFT
sways between uplifting rock anthems ("Lift"),
runaway summer jams ("All I Want Is More"),
brooding mid-tempo, guitar ballads ("Everything
I Wanted", "Lonely", "This Is
It") swaggering riff-rockers ("Letter To
You", "Down On Me") and, of course,
irrepressible, rock-pop gems (first single, "Shine").
It's an album where Shannon explores the range of
a voice that continues to surprise. Amazingly, it
gets better with every outing.
The
emotional centrepiece of LIFT is "Now I Run",
the song Shannon wrote for his late father, who was
killed in a farming accident in 2001. It's clear to
anyone who spends even a little time with Shannon
that his father remains a central figure in his life,
and "Now I Run" is a fitting, emotional
tribute to the man who, sings Shannon, "Taught
me to walk / Now I run". "It's something
that I never wanted to do before because I didn't
think I could do it well enough", reveals Shannon.
"The last thing I wanted was to do a half-hearted,
crappy song about Dad because it's such an important
subject. But I'm proud of this song. I don't think
I could come up with anything better. When I was recording
it, it just busted me up".
LIFT
is the unmistakeable sound of an artist challenging
his perception of what he can be and what he can achieve.
It's also a damn fine slice of contemporary rock and
pop. Make no mistake, LIFT is set to establish beyond
any doubt that Shannon Noll is a musical force to
be reckoned with for a long time to come.
"THIS
IS THE TIME
THIS IS THE DAY WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR
WHEN ALL THE WORLD WILL STOP TO WATCH YOU SHINE"
LIFT,
the long awaited second album from Shannon Noll, is
out now through Sony
BMG
Profiles
Music
Websites
Shannon
Noll official website
Sony
BMG
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