CD Release: Chloe Charles 'Break the Balance' Feb 13 2013 in Toronto

From a media release:

Chloe Charles CD Release
Singing sorceress weaves musical magic with new CD, “Break The Balance”
Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:00-9:30pm
The Revival, 783 College St, Toronto
$15 advance  or  $20 door - 416-535-7888 

Check out & Buy the CD

[Toronto ON] 
Kicking off the new year with a bang seems like the only appropriate thing to do after closing 2012 with such wild success.  Having just returned from her European tour with a dizzying number of interviews and features (incl. Rolling Stone, Die Zeit), Chloe Charles is perfectly poised for her home turf celebration of “Break The Balance” at Toronto hub, The Revival, Feb 13th.

A mere two years ago, this young singer-songwriter and self-taught guitarist released her debut EP, Little Green Bud – a fitting title, too, as it set the tone for a fully blossoming career that’s about to go off the scales with Break The Balance.  Since Little Green Bud, music critics and fans alike have been scurrying to put into words what it is that Chloe does. She’s that spellbindingly different.

Best of luck with that. The press have likened Chloe to everyone from Björk to Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse to Adele, and Alicia Keys to Joni Mitchell. While this reflects her unfathomable range, it goes a long way towards describing why this singing sorceress’ musical magic defies any and all straitjackets of classification. 



Fans, presenters and media around the world have responded warmly to this one-of-a-kind voice, offering Chloe 300 shows across 8 countries in only 2 years, features in (German versions of) Rolling Stone and Elle, the cover of International Musician magazine, the Harbourfront’s Soundclash Award, CBC feature on Here & Now (Song of the Week), an invitation to join the Guild Guitar family, and showcases at SXSW, NXNE, CMW and Folk Alliance.

Weaned on an early childhood in the lush, dense woods of Ontario, the beauty and its uninterrupted silence forged her relationship with sound and the art of listening. 



In her teens, Chloe’s father married into a musical dynasty when he became the husband of Cynthia and stepfather of Julian Lennon. Becoming Lennon’s stepsister provided Chloe with an uncommon picture of the world and the place of celebrity within it, while cementing her desire to create and follow her own muse.


Her discovery of classical guitar just a few short years ago fuelled a love for all things stringed and resonant, plotting a roadmap for a territory inhabited by cello, violin and bass  – each song a mini-symphonic stopping point.  Here, her penchant for orchestral soul pop and jazz – and a blend of many influences in-between – could happily co-exist within a timeless and ethereal soundscape.



So, who would dare produce the debut CD of this transcendent force field? No less than Duane Lundy (Ben Sollee, Vandaveer) shared the reins with Charles on the development of Break The Balance while Peter Moore (Cowboy Junkies, Willie P. Bennett) handled some of the mastering. 


The lead and hallmark track, “Business”, dedicated to everyone going through an identity crisis, sets an edgy pace for this inaugural, full-length release. Voice becomes instrument against an upbeat collision of strings, percussion and powerful chorus – the uniqueness of which serves the narrative perfectly – love is ours, just as we are.   


On “My Child”-- a soft, delicate number relying on the harp effect from her classical guitar, Chloe takes the lovely melody and wraps words around it like a motherly blanket. 



From the title track’s poignant testament to love, to “Soldier”, which turns the meaning of bravery on its head, Chloe asks us to look at life from a fresh perspective.

And this is only a taste of Break The Balance’s 12-song menu.  Indeed, if the response to her appetizer of an EP is any indication, Break The Balance is bound to tip things even further in her favour.

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