Over the years, Ingrid Chavez has been known as a Prince protege for her 1992 Paisley Park/Warner Bros. album and co-starring role in the film Graffiti Bridge, as collaborator and ex-wife of David Sylvian or to some as the songwriter of Madonna’s funky, sensual and controversial hit ‘Justify My Love’.
Such obscure references however, may soon be a thing of the past. Ingrid’s new record, A Flutter and Some Words was released on January 26th on her own indie label; Ten Windows Records and is sure to put her in a new and more relevant light. While Ingrid has made guest appearances on a number of albums including those from electronica artist PC Munoz and the aforementioned Sylvian, she has spent many of those “missing” years as a full-time mom.
Several years ago, muse unleashed, Ingrid began working on new music which quickly flowed together to form the foundations of this new album A Flutter and Some Words. Leaving much of the trappings of her previous more pop-oriented collaborations and production behind, A Flutter and Some Words finds Ingrid’s gentle melodies and sage-like whispers at home in a far more organic setting.
“Working outside of a major label allows me the freedom to just be the artist that I am,” offer’s Ingrid from her home in rural New England. “I am comfortable working this way. Everything comes from my home, it’s a part of my real life. I write here, record here and conduct my business from here, my home. Here I am not at the mercy of anyone’s whims but my own.”
But Ingrid’s no J.D. Salinger-recluse type. She is merely adapting to the way artists work today, something often hard for former major label artists to do. She already has plans for live shows and a number of other promotional events in the coming months. When asked if she misses the high profile nature of her first record with Vogue photo shoots and a the financial support of a label behind her, she takes a broader perspective. “There is nothing more empowering than owning yourself and your intellectual property. Having been on a major label before, I have a great appreciation for indie artists or artists like myself, self releasing their work.”
Combining an eclectic mix of delicate acoustic guitars, exotic string and wind instruments with rich atmospheric and bubbling electronic soundscapes, Ingrid’s artistic voice is clearer than ever. A Flutter and Some Words reflects influences as diverse as singer-songwriters Iron and Wine on songs like ‘Mine’ or soul singer Maxwell on ‘Terrible Woman’. That being said, there is nothing dated or disjointed about this record. With the aid of Italian collaborators (master engineer Alessandro Mazzitelli and multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Scopelliti) and a small group of outstanding musicians from across the globe, Ingrid’s latest effort shows remarkable cohesiveness. This is an album in the classic and timeless sense, a world unto itself.
Her website www.ingridchavez.com, which features a beautiful new music video for the albums first single ‘By The Water’ as well as the opportunity to purchase the 7 remixes of the song in mp3 or flac formats (for all you audiophiles out there), suggests there is a lot more on the way from Chavez.
‘By The Water’ and the rest of the songs on A Flutter and Some Words are a testament to the fact that more often then not, the best music is created when an artist is free to create.
As the indie music world allows artists to pursue their art unfiltered and at their own pace, we may find more and more formerly major label artists testing the waters. Til then…
Live Well & Listen Closely,
J. Hayes
available now at iTunes and www.ingridchavez.com
read more articles by music writer J. Hayes at: http://www.examiner.com/x-4161-New-American-Music-Examiner
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images courtesy of Ingrid Chavez
