Rasheed Ogunlaru
Over the last two years or so – and I can’t believe it’s been that long a stretch of time – I’ve been in and out of the studio recording a new collection of songs. And aptly that leads in and ties in with the title of this new forthcoming collection ‘Lease of Life‘ which I’ve now nearly completed.
The title came to me pretty much at the start of the project. It’s a bit of a double-play on the phrase. On the one hand it’s about that energy we have and that renewed sense of energy. And on the other hand – and more deeply and essentially – it’s about that we only have a finite amount of time that we are charged with in this physical form.
The previous collection of songs ‘Songs from the Soul’ – which you can enjoy listening to 5 of the tracks from on the player at the top of each page and that you can get on download via the music page on this site – was very much a set of songs about awakening to life and really discovering oneself and ones true self. It was I guess a serious endeavour of me wanting to gather together old and new songs I’d written over the best part of a decade that captured that journey and my return / reconnection to music.
With that done ‘Lease of Life’ is more of a freer exploit with songs about all different dimensions of this physical, material and emotional experience of life. It covers life in it’s ups and downs, it’s highs and lows. Below you can see a video of my producer, John Hamilton and I finalising the mix of one of the lead songs “Get Back Up Again” which is quite a good reflection and summary of the collection. Though, as you might expect from me, it has actually quite a range of different sounds and inflections. I’m actually really proud of this new set of songs – a word I don’t use that often, I’m very pleased with it. A week or two ago a new song emerged which I felt was calling out for a place in the collection so I’ll be going in to the studio next weekend to start to record. Once I’ve recorded that – and perhaps then mixed another song then we’ll be pretty much there with this set of songs.
It’s good timing personally and I feel it’s time the collection starts to live and breathe. Having said it has been living and breathing already as you can hear a couple of songs here already on my video & gallery page and on my YouTube Channel – and of course you can watch / here Get Back Up Again right below this blog.
Anyway I hope to be sharing more – and possibly all – of the collection with you soon.