Hannah Shira Naiman releases her second album

hannah shira naiman

Toronto banjo player and singer songwriter Hannah Shira Naiman is releasing her second album Know The Mountain on October 7, 2016 on Merriweather Records. With a sound that sits between Gillian Welch and Sarah Harmer, Naiman’s original songs ring with influences of Ola Belle Reed, The Carter Family, American old time, and traditional English ballads.

Know The Mountain builds on Naiman’s acclaimed debut record Tether My Heart (2013) and delivers an even more bold, layered, and mature collection of songs. Many of the songs on the album came out of Naiman’s time in Virginia and West Virginia studying old-time fiddle music. They reflect Naiman’s wide ranging influences from appalachian traditions to contemporary female songwriters like Tori Amos and Ani Difranco.

Despite contemporary influences, many of the songs remain true to traditional form in one way or the other. There are haunting murder ballads like ‘The Blue House’ and ‘In The Pouring Rain’, fun, upbeat nonsense songs like ‘Rubikee’, arrangements of traditional songs like ‘Train On The Island’ and ‘Come All You Lonesome Ramblers’, and even a yodelling lullaby called ‘The Valley Waltz’.

Lending their considerable talent to the recording are Naiman’s renowned multi-instrumentalist father, Arnie Naiman on guitar and banjo, Gary Craig (Bruce Cockburn, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings) on percussion, Brian Kobayakawa (Creaking Tree String Quartet) on bass and Emily Adam (Blackest Crow) on harmony vocals.

The album was produced by Don Kerr who’s performed with Canadian indie legends Ron Sexmith and Rheostatics and has produced music by the likes of Juno nominees Alex Pangman and Bob Snider.

Artist’s website: http://www.hannahshiranaiman.com/

‘Know The Mountain’ live: