Author and songwriter Zoe FitzGerald Carter premieres her video for, “These Words,” via American Blues Scene. The jazz-tinged song was penned by Zoe and Hindy Bare and the black and white Joshua McClaindirected video features a moody and sultry performance from the songwriter interspersed with stills of New York City.
“’These Words’ is a melancholy, jazzy take on the way a lover or spouse’s words can clutter your head long after the relationship has ended,” says Zoe. “Freeing yourself can be tough — the words become part of your own self-talk.”
“On the recording, I had the great pleasure of working with trumpet/flugelhorn player Erik Jekabson, a fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene who toured with John Mayer. His playing is so smooth and moody, it just makes you melt. And I love the way he created the feel of a duet with my voice.”
“In the video, we went for a nostalgic, black and white, film noir vibe and videographer Joshua McClain came up with a cool “rain on the window” effect. Interspersed with the live shots, we were lucky to obtain images from NYC photographer, Peter Cunningham, who started his career shooting musicians in the West Village. I lived in NYC for many years, so for me his photos really enhanced the mood and atmosphere.”
The song is the second single off of her upcoming debut solo LP, Waterlines, due out March 26th following the Americana Highways premiere of “I Wanna Be A Teenage Boy.” They enthused, “Boy, what a sentiment. We all envy the confidence and abandon with which at least most teenage boys ‘do their thing.’ But there’s so much more behind the song’s story; more that is less admirable. Listen and contemplate.”
Waterlines ranges in style from folk to funk, the tracks share a vivid sense of language and a lively, literary approach to storytelling. Zoe’s background as a journalist, essayist and author (Imperfect Endings), is reflected in the album’s intimate, autobiographical feel. The title of the album, Waterlines, refers to writing itself, she says. “It also evokes the way we look for clues from the past. Like tracing the watermarks after a river has flooded or been depleted.”
The album features a rich array of top Bay Area musicians, including drummer Dawn Richardson (formerly of 4 Non Blondes and Tracy Chapman’s touring band), keyboardist Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco), trumpet/flugelhorn player Erik “Mr. Tasty” Jekabson (John Mayer), bass player Paul Olguin (famed Bay Area sideman), and guitarist extraordinaire Michael Papenburg, who soars on the album’s funk-infused feminist anthem “I Wanna Be A Teenage Boy.”
