Chris Shinn Solo Album Coming
10/21/2011
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Former Unified Theory frontman Chris Shinn will release his self-titled debut solo album, in January 2012 (Black Cicada). We were sent the following details: With his striking vocals and passionate songwriting, Chris Shinn delivers an eclectic album pulling from elements of rock, country, jazz and blues. He will be playing a special showcase on November 16th at the Converse Rubber Tracks Studio in Brooklyn. Recorded in Nashville, Shinn has orchestrated a band of heavy hitting musical legends for his solo debut made up of Brent Mason (Neil Diamond, Alan Jackson) on lead guitar, Bobby Ogdin (Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson) on piano, Billy Ward (Yoko Ono, B.B. King, Carly Simon) on drums, Tim Smith (Kris Kristofferson, Bill Evans, Boots Randolph) on bass, Paul Franklin (Sting, Barbara Streisand, Megadeth) on steel, and Roddy Smith (Boots Randolph, Bill Evans, George Hamilton IV) on rhythm guitar along with Steve Marcantonio (Taylor Swift, George Strait, Billy Falcon, Alabama) who mixed and engineered the album. Shinn's latest triumph did not come about overnight he has been stunning audiences in successful rock bands since the late 90's. Most notably, Shinn was the lead vocalist in the supergroup Unified Theory along with Brad Smith and Christopher Thorn, previously of Blind Melon, and Dave Krusen, previously of Pearl Jam. The alternative-rock band spawned such hits as "California" and "Wither". From here, Shinn had the idea to create an album of songs he "wished he wrote". He wanted to recreate the songs that had influenced him so much as a musician and as a young man and he wanted to do it right. He partnered up with Tim Smith to help assemble a dream lineup as his backing band and they did just that. Every member of the band agrees that their meeting was the most instant musical connection they had experienced; they describe their writing together as "effortless" and that their relationship allows each of them to produce at their creative peak. No song was played more than two or three times in recording, thus capturing the organic experience of their studio sessions and the unbridled talent of the musicians involved. The ultimate goal of this record was to create brilliant music among friends, and after the first listen, it is clear that Shinn's mission was accomplished. The dramatic, twinging single "Bound" exemplifies Shinn's enormous vocal range and compelling lyrics and the anthemic track "Something in the Light" is a pure feel-good sing-along jam. Achy-breaky retrospective "We Had a Good Run" is a melodic love story set to a tumbling country twang and "Dragon, Fly" closes out the album with a sweeping chorus and swirling arrangement. "Bound" is available on iTunes now purchase the song HERE. Full track listing of the album is below. For Chris and his band, this album was an exercise in letting go letting go of reservations, letting go of expectations and "surrendering to the music and each individual's talents" to guide the material. As Shinn puts it: "What these sessions mean to me cannot be explained in words. I've had a few victories in my career but none come close to this. My definition of success changed dramatically some years ago; family and friends are all that matter to me. Getting to make music with them is
well, total success." Full Track Listing: 1. I'm Up 2. Bound 3. We'll Be OK 4. Something in the Light 5. Afterlite 6. River Man 7. Between Two Blues 8. Valhalla 9. Pyramid Song 10. We Had a Good Run 11. The Wind and the Waves 12. Dragon, Fly
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