2011 BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
& BEST COUNTRY SONG
for the album & title track
'What Am I Gonna Do?'
BUY NOW!
Since 1994, Mushroom Music has been holding Writers’ Workshops (Writers’ Bloc) at Michael Gudinski’s house in Mount Macedon (Victoria), Palm Beach (NSW), Hunter Valley (NSW) and Bethells Beach (Auckland). Both invited local writers and international guests combine into groups of two each day to write and record a new song. Makeshift studios are set up around the properties and the task must be completed before moonlight.Writers’ Bloc aims to stimulate our writers’ creative capacity. For most the collaborative experience is relatively unknown. By withdrawing these artists from their comfort zones they are given the opportunity to explore new ideas; share songwriting, experimental instrumentation and vocal techniques; trial different recording equipment; and form lasting relationships. Several workshop partnerships have continued to work together in songwriting and production roles, while others have gone onto forming entirely new projects and embarking on dual tours.The material composed at these workshops are then worked into TV and film and have also appeared on subsequent releases as singles, b-sides and album tracks.Mushroom also hosts workshops specifically for country and pop writers. In these genres of music, collaboration is still prevalent and songs can be pitched for covers, while a large portion of invited guests will be in the process of writing for new records.
Add to that being invited to join a list of other NZ writers as part of the 2012 Book Fair in Frankfurt Germany. I'm working on taking with me a collection of poems relating to personal battles and triumphs with addictions, others on working in forensic mental health in London plus lyrics from my back catologue. Your donation will help towards making this happen. Contributors will receive a FREE copy of the book and be listed in the credits.
RIANZ managing director Chris Caddick said, “My sincere congratulations to Donna, who has crafted a truly exceptional album with ‘What Am I Gonna Do?’. Here’s hoping the Tui Award helps the album reach the wide audience it deserves.”
Ant Healey, director of New Zealand operations for APRA, says "Donna Dean is an outstanding contributor to New Zealand music. "There isn’t any doubt that Donna thoroughly deserves the dual honours announced tonight at Gore. The fact that Don McLean chose Donna to open his shows on his New Zealand tour speaks volumes for the regard she is held among music’s giants.” Read APRA press release
What the reviews say
Doco by Miriama Toms of making the album What Am I Gonna Do?
Songwriters round Troubadour Weekend
Kynton, Vic August 2011
Mike Brady, Russell Smith, DD
Her songs are being hand picked for albums reaping Grammy nominations and her creativity is being likened to that of Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. She has a following in Germany where she's been touring for over a decade but it's her fifth album "What Am I Gonna Do?, that's caught the attention of music fans and critics in America. Donna has supported an impressive list of America's song writing legends including Don Mclean Jimmy Webb, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham and Willie Nelson & Russell Smith. Grammy Award winning songwriter and ‘Aces’ front man Russell Smaith told Donna her songs were “good”, suggesting she “take them out into the the world". She took this seriously and spent the years between 1999 and 2005 based in London, regularly playing in central London, touring and building her audience in Europe while opening for Austin, Texas singer-songwriters Catie Curtis and Terry Allen. Donna shared her guitar at a London gig, with L.A based songwriter Ben Vaughn (Composer, Producer, Recording artist of That 70s Show, Ween, Third Rock From the Sun, Alex Chilton and Swingers) who took a fancy to her Gibson J100. She opened for Blues man Eric Bibb in Auckland 2009 and in 2010 was a special guest of Australian singer-songwriters Bill Chambers and Kiwi Matt Gow (now based in Australia). She recorded her award winning album ‘Money’ in Nashville with countryrock band The Amazing Rhythm Aces.
Grammy Nominated
Title Track Penned by Kiwi
Donna's song 'Destination Life' was hand picked by American artist Rhonda Vincent as the title track of her 2010 Grammy nominated Bluegrass album.
The album reached number 2 on the U.S Bluegrass charts 2009
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Feb 2011 Special guest on
Tour with Don Mclean
Donna Dean opened this concert with just a guitar and a very appealing voice. Her ‘warm up’ performance showed how versatile she can be and the audience were ‘well primed’ by interval time. Standout song was her’ Destination Life’ which has received international acclaim.
Pat Southee
Review from Don Mclean show Wellington, New Zealand.
If you have ever listened to any guitar playin’ women and dug it, you will have to give Donna a listen and let me know what you think. I’m liking her upbeat attitude about a subject we can all relate to from the first line, which is “I been walking on eggshells around you lately….” Yes, yes, I can relate! The song is What Am I Gonna Do? Comparisons have been made . . . Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams. . .I think I’ll listen to Donna Dean some more and get back to you on this.
Gracey Slacker Country USA
And the winner is...Donna Dean! Here at APRA we are proud to announce the winner of the 2011 APRA Best Country Music Song Award, who topped the award with her song "What Am I Gonna Do?". To second that she also took the prize for the RIANZ Best Country Music Album. Opening for the likes Don McLean of American Pie fame and
having had her creativity being likened to that of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, now Donna Dean has taken out the nation’s two highest honours in country music writing and recording. ‘What Am I Gonna Do?’ is Donna Dean’s first album since 2002. She is swiftly gaining international acclaim, her material has been translated into French and she has toured Germany bi-annually since 1998. Donna has also worked alongside an impressive list of America's song writing legends including Don McLean, Russell Smith & The Amazing Rhythm Aces and Willie Nelson.Donna has personally financed every album she’s recorded by working in low paid jobs. She also has 20 years of volunteer
work to her credit including Refugee Resettlement in Auckland and distributing food to homeless shelters in London. The liner notes to Donna’s album tell a story of a woman who has had her fair share of challenges and triumphs - leaving home at 15, children, marriage, divorce and then growing success on the country music scene. Referencing such a background, Donna’s songs become “snap shots of observation of the human condition” according to her bio information from the best country album award entry. Her writing broaches co-dependency, dementia, long distance relationships, deceit, gratitude and more in “day-to-day events we all relate to”.
All 10 original tracks on ‘What Am I Gonna Do?’ are written and performed by Donna Dean and were recorded at Hill Street Studio in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga. Guest musician on the album is Bill Chambers from Australia and it has been released by Ode Records.
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