AMELIA WHITE

Amelia White is a songwriter and singer-songwriter associated with americana. She is described as a critically acclaimed writer with a style built around honest, unaffected vocals and songs with strong melodic and lyrical detail.

Her fourth album, Motorcycle Dream, is a key release in her catalogue. The record is shaped by themes of wanderlust, escape, addiction, political and personal bullies, a dog’s near-death experience, broken hearts, and new love. It is also noted for its cinematic writing and a raw recording approach, with vocals, guitar, and drums tracked live to capture the connection between White and drummer Marco Giovino.

The album is made in East Nashville at Mr. Lemon’s, Neilson Hubbard’s back-yard shed studio, in two recording sessions: six songs in March 2007 and seven songs in February 2008. White says the longer gap between sessions is due to funding, and that the record follows a split with Funzalo Records, which owns and promotes Black Doves.

White works mostly alone as a writer but also co-writes with country and pop songwriters. On Motorcycle Dream, three tracks are co-written: one with Lori McKenna and Lorne Entress, one with Phil Madeira, and one with Bill Lloyd. She is also described as a prolific writer who balances solo work with collaborations.

The album brings together a wide group of musicians. Contributors include John Jackson and Russell Chudnofsky on guitar, Molly Bancroft and Neilson Hubbard on keys and vocals, Paul Slivka on bass, Molly Thomas on violin, and Jon Byrd on a duet. Megan McCormick, Mack Starks, Garrison Starr, Leslie Mills, and Eamon McLoughlin add further instrumentation and vocals. White refers to a long period of solo touring, playing around 150 to 180 dates a year for three years, as part of the background to the album’s themes of motion and flight.

Her songs mix her own experiences with stories gathered while travelling, often from short encounters with people in bars and small towns. The writing is presented as non-linear and impressionistic, drawing on both personal feeling and the lives of strangers.