biographical info
Multi-award winning singer/songwriter Rita MacNeil presents Blue Roses, her 20th release, and the first in over 10 years that features all her own original material.
The gentle piano based ‘Floating’ takes us to summers spent on the porch of her beloved home in Cape Breton sharing the heady feelings of first love while ‘Time and Again’ reminds us that dreams really do come true. There’s the New Orleans blue’s style intro of ‘Memphis’, lamenting the hopelessness of lost love; two songs ‘You Can’t Go Home Again’ and ‘Knowing When to Go’- that were written in the late 80’s at the beginning of Rita’s career, and the country tinged title track, and the finality of goodbyes - Blue Roses is a diverse journey through life.
“Music is timeless and ageless,” notes the legendary singer, ‘the passion I feel for what I do can’t be put aside with a number and a year. It is a big part of my life – the concerts, the touring, the letters and the joy the audience gives back to me when the music touches a chord with them.”
In many ways it was this realization that brought about ‘Please Believe Me’, a signature song on the album. Life is full of second chances and when you finally find your purpose there is a wonderful peace that envelops you and stays with you through the inevitable ups and downs.
Blue Roses was recorded off the studio floor with Rita’s road family, making it a unique and very intimate experience.