Rock singer takes risks on new album
On her latest album, New Mistakes, Terra Lightfoot takes risks and expands on her already impressive range, writes Gord Brock.
“This is Number 3 — lucky Number 3.”
That’s the hope of blues-soaked rock singer Terra Lightfoot, a formidable Canadian talent who releases her latest album on the same day she’ll play in Regina.
The disc is called New Mistakes and makes the most of this talent, a triple-threat who has opened shows recently for Canadian guitar senator Bruce Cockburn.
“We have played a couple of songs on the road … this will be our first unveiling of the new material, so we’re very excited to come back to Regina,” said Lightfoot, who will open for Whitehorse on Oct. 13 at the Wa Wa Shriners Hall.
For music fans who aren’t yet familiar with her, Lightfoot is a songwriter, singer and guitarist.
“I write all of my songs, on every record,” she said.
Lightfoot’s first effort was released five years ago. Her songs feature an intriguing emotional diversity, a broad vocal range and guitar skills delivering everything from gentle single-string picking, to power chords, to lead riffs.
Of the songwriting for New Mistakes, Lightfoot said: “I think from being on the road so much I’ve had an opportunity to get into writing travel songs. A lot of the songs on this album are very much travel songs.
“They’re a road map of where I’ve been. So it’s nice to put them out into the world … be able to have some place names in there.”
The cocky tune Stars Over Dakota begins with simple guitar chording but escalates into power strums with background vocals.
“Stars Over Dakota is kind of a chronological trip around the Great Lakes that we took in like five days. And I wrote the whole tune while I was driving. I love writing songs like that.”
The first single and accompanying video from her third album is already released. Called Paradise, it’s a none-too-coy invitation to, well, explore all the evening may offer.
Notable about this tune is Lightfoot’s shift from her typically midrange vocals and into a high pitch.
“Well, on this record we kind of wanted to go into more of a falsetto range. I think it’s always good to get out of your comfort zone. For me, that means singing a little higher than is comfortable,” Lightfoot said with a chuckle.
“It was unexpected. When I wrote that chorus, I didn’t have any idea that it was going to be that high in my range. But yeah, it’s a really fun challenge.”
As far as the guitar goes, Lightfoot said she’s learned as she’s gone along.
“I took lessons when I first started, for about six months. Every self-taught guitarist picks up things from people that they play with. So, it wasn’t like I wasn’t jamming with everybody, but I’m mostly self-taught.”
And what better mentor than Cockburn?
“He’s an amazing guitarist and he taught me a lot,” she said.
For the Regina show, Lightfoot will be playing with her full band.
“Yes I am, and I’m very, very happy to say that, because I love my band. They are some of the greatest players that I could ever hope to be on the road with,” she said.