September 2007
Peter North, Edmonton Journal (Canada)
“Chloe Hall is an Australian on her way to Nashville, but today the singer-songwriter is enjoying her introduction to Canada. This road trip… builds on her well-crafted third album White Street.”
Singer switches her sights from the Southern Cross to northern lights
Chloe Hall is an Australian on her way to Nashville, but today the singer-songwriter is enjoying her introduction to Western Canada’s scenery.
As a teenager, she routinely romanticized about Canada as she listened to recordings by Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.
“The great thing is, everything is meeting my expectations,” laughs Hall, who has had the good fortune to nab some choice gigs in stunning settings in B.C.
After playing dates on the Gulf Islands, Hall landed in the beautifully restored Ashcroft Opera Hall, played a date in Prince George and backtracked for a show in Prince Rupert.
Travelling with a number of friends from Down Under on a journey dubbed the Southern Cross Tour, Hall pulls into Edmonton Friday to play the Blue Chair. This road trip, which will also take her to Eastern Canada, builds on her well-crafted third album White Street.
“Similarities between Canada and Australia include strong singer-songwriter and festival scenes. And we’re used to travelling long distances between shows,” laughed Hall, who entered the the coffee-house circuit in Melbourne 14 years ago.
Joining her on the road are cellist James Hazelden and fellow songwriters Emaline Delapaix and Anita George. “Early on, I was fortunate to get some direction and encouragement from established artists like Judy Small even though I was writing these rambling songs with no choruses.”
A few years later, she got the chance to turn out songs for television dramas, where her writing skills quickly sharpened. “Writing songs for television is very specific in terms of subject matter, tone and time,” says Hall, who has since built binding choruses into songs like Fall For You and Without You that are found on White Street.
Hall picked the right musician in Hazelden to work with in a duo context. “I love the cello and James’s playing can be mellow or melancholy. James comes from a rock band background and he can add an edge to songs or a get into double stops and add a more percussive sound.”
Hall’s tune How Many Roads seems to have hit a collective nerve with Canadian audiences.
Hall and friends will play three sets at the Blue Chair on Friday starting at 8 p.m. For ticket information, phone the cafe at 989-2861.
