TESS was born in 1972. In the following years, there could have not been a better education into music and songcraft! Bowie, The Doors, John Lennon -it all left a caliber of musical structure and melody that strongly imprinted on the mind of a growing child. As each newly released song was lapped up on a Sunday “chart show” afternoon, it taught him how to express what he, a quiet child, found hard to do through words alone, yet more importantly it gave him something to aspire to.
For most of his adult life, he didn’t fully embrace a music career. To him, his songs were more like intimate diary entries, recording the major passages of his life. But songs eventually led to performances; and those gigs led to a chance meeting with a cellist in a café. Through her, TESS was introduced to producer and strings arranger Howard Gott. Howard recognised the strength of the vocals, guitar structure and they began work. Howard bought an air of patience to the recording with his string parts offering sensitivity and texture. The album took well over a year to develop, often with long periods of reflection in between tracks; he was determined to give it “his all”. Every song has to be based on the truth of his life; some of the lyrics so intimate that he still finds it hard to directly address their meaning. The result? “An album that creeps under the skin with each listen” (ACOUSTIC MAGAZINE).
And so we have Magpie, 11 songs of depth and introspection. At times haunting and deeply personal – yet always unmistakable. “Not to be ignored”, say MOJO. Available via the Amazon link below:
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