Finalist with Honourable Mention (Americana category) in the
International Songwriting Competition!
To Be Continued…is an album that showcases Honey’s most striking and stirring compositions. “I’m so happy,” she says. “I’m really proud of this record and how it all came together.” Cut in Nashville with Grammy-nominated producer Neilson Hubbard (John Prine, Mary Gauthier, Jason Isbell) and first-call players like guitarists Will Kimbrough and Kris Donegan, pianist Dan Mitchell, bassist Dean Marold and legendary fiddler Eamon McLoughlin,To Be Continued…takes Honey’s mix of Americana, Country, Rock, Canadiana and Blues to the next level, capturing the sound she’s been chasing for years. “It’s hard to articulate what you hear in your head and get it to come to life through other musicians,” she says. But after getting Hubbard’s name from singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters, she knew she’d found her man. “I looked up the songs he produced and went, ‘That’s what I’ve been hearing!’
Although she’s made music since childhood — “I wrote my first song in 1976” — Honey never dreamed of making it a career. However, along the way, the down-to-earth artist has displayed extraordinary dedication to her craft. Francine’s debut self-produced albumAn Ordinary Womancame out in 2008 and was followed in 2014 byRe-Drawn, produced by Lang Bliss in Nashville. As a graduate of the Berklee College of Music Professional Singer-Songwriter Certificate Program, Francine regularly makes the nine-hour drive from Ontario, Canada, to song-writing workshops in Nashville, where she has been mentored by icons like Beth Nielsen Chapman (who contributes backup vocals to Honey’sSnowflakes On My Eyelashes), Mike Reid (I Can’t Make You Love Me), Mary Gauthier (Mercy Now), Verlon Thompson (Boats to Build), Gretchen Peters (Independence Day) and Jonatha Brooke (My Mother has 4 Noses). Francine is a member of the Songwriter’s Association of Canada (SAC), Nashville Songwriter’s Association International, Canadian Country Music Association and Americana Music Association. She co-ordinates the SAC’s Leamington/Windsor Regional Writer’s Group, mentoring other songwriters. She has showcased at the Texas Songwriters Symposium four years in a row, the WinterFolk Blues and Roots Festival in Toronto, the Kingsville Folk Music Festival and the Folk Music Ontario conference. Francine’s music and song-writing have not only taken her through Canada and the U.S but to the U.K., Switzerland and Italy.
Now,To Be Continuedtakes Francine’s listeners on a journey. Courageously drawing from her own life, Honey’s latest songs run the gamut of emotion.Snowflakes on My Eyelasheschannels the grief of loss;Can’t Break Through to Youexamines PTSD; and the movingMarilyndocuments a harrowing health scare. “That’s a very tough subject and a very personal song,” she confesses. “The room goes quiet when I play it. But I’ll see someone wipe a tear from their eye, and know that song has touched someone.” It’s not alone: Stay was a finalist in the ‘Sing Your Heart Out/Love Songs’ category and a finalist with Honourable Mention in the ‘Americana’ category of the 2018 International Songwriting Competition (placing 7th place out of 19,000 entries), as well as a semi-finalist in the Canada Songwriting Contest. And Mamas Take Bad Dreams Away made the top five in the Canada South Songwriting Contest.
Equally laudable are cuts on the lighter side of the roster: The upbeat driving ode Open Road, the sexy come-hither blues of Honey (a semi-finalist in the Blues and Americana categories of the International Songwriting Competition) and the uplifting title cut that chronicles her romance with a friend who re-entered her life at just the right time. ”
Francine’s music can be heard worldwide on radio stations from the U.K. to the U.S.A., Ireland, Canada and beyond. She has been featured on CBC radio, Sirius XM and country stations across North America and she receives millions of views on her videos. She has appeared and been interviewed on CTV News, CFRU’s Folk Roots Radio and more.
Read more about what critics have been saying about Francine Honey:
“Francine Honey has labored mightily to perfect her art and we reap the rewards with every track on her third release.” THE MUSIC REVIEWS
“…superbly written,..it’s a real pleasure to hear how Honey leans into the chorus vocal and achieves everything she wants without ever coming off ham fisted.” CARLITO’S MUSIC BLOG
“..a strong singer/songwriter sensibility far outside the purview of many of her peers and contemporaries…brimming over with wisdom and..freewheeling musical spirit.” INDIESHARK MUSIC
“…particularly thoughtful and well constructed arrangements..” INDIE MUSIC REVIEW
“..a rich, welcoming adventure for those who who embrace pensive, cautious and gorgeous songwriting.” TAKE EFFECT REVIEWS
“..a modern sound with rough and ready traditionalist country …Honey’s voice holds everything to together with a zesty performance.” INDIEBAND GURU
“…heartfelt, inspired original lyrics…freewheeling and full of life..” NEUFUTUR
“…infectious from the moment that it touches down…you could definitely make the case for this being the most accessible Canadian country album of the year.” GASHOUSE RADIO
“…a signature all its own…Americana is a popular subgenre in modern music, to be sure, but practitioners the caliber of Francine Honey are a breed apart.” RAZORFISH
“There’s something for almost every taste among these 11 tracks,..all of the adrenaline of a raging bar band fueling a crowd of excitable cowboys and ramblers looking to dance the night away…. wistful harmonies that ache with a yearning that is anything but disingenuous.” INDIEPULSE MUSIC
“Another exceptional musical export from the Great White North…an authentic and individualistic interpreter of Americana…” REVIEWFIX
“…an endearing old world charm that is far from the plasticity of the mainstream….Honey’s vocals undisputedly steal the show.” IMAAI
“…amazingly tender vocal stylings…Honey is going places fast..” MUSIC EXISTENCE
“…Honey is in the primetime now, and this is her very best work yet…” INDIE MUSIC REVIEWS
“…a strong contender for best video and single of the year.” MOBANGELES
“…spellbinding ballads…Canadian country music simply doesn’t get much better than what this skillful songwriter has done in her new record’s eleven engaging songs.” VENTS
“…appealing and uncomplicated..” SKOPE
“..a rousing country tune …This one will get your boots on the dance floor.” LA MUSIC CRITIC/INDIE VOICE
“…a wonderful calling card for a talented and schooled musician on the move.” CHALKED UP REVIEWS
For more information please contact:
INTERNATIONAL PRESS/RADIO PROMO:
Last Tango Productions Ltd./Yvonne Valnea/Ethan Mann
E:info@lasttangoproductions.com
P: 416-538-1838
0 comments:
Post a Comment