Cafe Merlot in Enniskillen is the venue for the chance to see the stunning Californian singer songwriter Corinne West on her 23 date tour of the UK and Ireland.
Corinne will be playing in Fermanagh for one night only this Saturday 3 May - a night not to be missed by anyone who loves the power of music.
Quite simply there is magic in Corinne West's voice. It aches and breaks. It soars. It's clear, penetrating and washed in emotion. When she wraps that voice around songs as sublime as those on her latest CD, 'Second Sight', she's spellbinding. That's because she's unlocked the secret that so many singers spend entire careers looking for and never find.
It's in every note and lyric. But most important, it's there in West's voice. What's the secret? Great singers are great communicators and every note sung can be a complete story in itself.
She knows giving listeners an unfettered glimpse into the raw and wild places of the soul is part of her job requirement. So she sings the story of life unfolding - sometimes brutal, sometimes beautiful, but always honest.
She learned about the importance of communication early in her musical career when she joined a nomadic group of artists travelling around the country in a converted school bus. She was 15 and dropped out of school to tour the country.
"I left home and school really young," she says. "I was a wild energetic kid, and I had this incredible wanderlust from a very early age. People always assume something heavy happened at home but that wasn't the case. It just wasn't all that great. Everything seemed really static. I wasn't being offered anything I could sink my teeth into. Then I met a group of travelling artists and activists and that finally lit me up. I found a window into a different way of life and I jumped through it.
"Living on a bus and being a young teenager among counter-culture artists had a massive impact on me. I met a lot of characters and saw many ways to live... some crazy, some sane. I realised that the world was chock full of possibility, and that a creative life was a potent way to contribute, make statements, and have a great time. And I had this guitar..."
So, with guitar in hand, Corinne hit the road and began busking- performing live in public in return for tips. That's where she earned her master's degree in delivering the soul of a song. It was a solid training ground for someone who had never taken formal music lessons and taught herself to play.
She immersed herself in the process, but her love affair with music took root well before that. At five years old she was writing and singing tunes to whomever would listen - often her parents or their friends who she would steal away one at a time during parties, but more often to the sky or a little girl's version of God in her room at night.
Corinne joined her first band at 19 and poured her heart into making music. The group ultimately dissolved, as did several others she joined thereafter. The break-ups were understandable but disappointing. So she started to write her own material.
Choosing that path led to an explosion of creativity. She honed her craft and developed her own signature sound. It was a heady mix with the intensity of rock, the sincerity of country, the storytelling of bluegrass, and the wide-openness of Americana.
She has toured relentlessly and won rave reviews from Maverick, Relix, and SingOut!, among others. She also was named a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival songwriting competition. That, in turn, launched her onto the national festival circuit.
Her latest album, 'Second Sight' is a strong, focused, and emotionally powerful album rich with stellar musicianship, expressive vocals, and songs that pierce to the core and soothe the soul. Throughout, the most dynamic instrument is West's highly emotive voice. At turns subtle and sophisticated, unbridled and passionate, it captures and conveys both the fragility and strength of the human spirit and translates the mysteries of the heart into something tangible. And if that's not magic, what is? So make the most of this unique opportunity to catch Corinne live in the intimate of surroundings on Cafe Merlot this Saturday night.
