Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Leif Vollebekk reveals “Southern Star” a poignant ballad as second single, including background vocals by Australian singer-songwriter Angie McMahon and steel guitar by legendary Cindy Cashdollar. The new album, Revelation, will be out on September 27th on Secret City Records.
Leif recently shared the stage with Fred Again… for three nights in San Francisco and previously announced a full European tour set for October 2024, tickets are on sale now. Before heading to the continent, the singer-songwriter will perform in selected Canadian festivals this summer, including Montreal International Jazz Festival.
“I think this might be my favorite song I have ever written, and it took a while to reveal itself,” tells Leif. “I spent about two years waiting for the last verse to come. It was recorded in one live take with me on piano, Oliver on drums, Shahzad on bass and Angie, who happened to be in town, singing harmony. We added Rob Moose on strings and Cindy Cashdollar on steel guitar. I asked her to stretch out at the end, and, when she did, I just sat there in the control room, completely blown away.”
Recorded at both Sunset Sound and Dreamland in Woodstock, New York, Revelation is both spiritual and down-to-earth, from the heavens above to the oceans below. The 11 tracks on Vollebekk’s Revelation combine narrative lyrics and many one-take lead vocal performances with cinematic arrangements, gorgeous sonics, well-placed space and lush orchestration. Vollebekk’s Revelation songwriting process was inspired by an exploration that began with Carl Jung’s I Ching and continued into the science of alchemy and the mystery of the divine. The final result is at once organic, earthy and celestial, with themes of nature — water, astral constellations, mortality – woven into a meditation on living in an ever-changing present laced with existential doubt, the search for a higher power.
What do you think of “Southern Star” from Leif Vollebekk?
