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Forte

by Maya Solovey

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1.
RING RING RING (Vs.1) Say that you're leaving Thin as a shadow Don't walk away Don't walk away There's still waters to travel Planted a garden Filled it with flowers We dug a hole We dug a whole Now we're praying for showers Went for a short walk Found you some new shoes I hope they fit I hope they fit Please let me tie them for you (Chorus) Ring Ring Ring We have all the things we need to make it work Ding Ding Ding Please don't give up even though I know it hurts Tweet Tweet Tweet Listen to the happy flying birds outside Let their song fill you up We are young and we have Plenty of time (Vs. 2) Say the you're leaving Fat as an apple Don't walk away Don't walk away I can't eat well without you We built a new house For our pet mouse Now he is home Now he is home The roof keeps out the owls Went to the movies Got us the best seat Don't fall asleep Don't fall asleep Monsters are really scary --(Chorus)-- (Bridge) I think we can I know we can oh yes we can can I think we can I know we can oh yes we can can I think we can I know we can oh yes we can can we can tune a piano but we cant tune a fish fish! --(Chorus )--
2.
Bigger Man 03:56
©2011 Maya Solovey BIGGER MAN Takes a bigger man to stand by his woman When her heels stand taller than his boots, Takes a bigger man to stand by his woman When her dress shines brighter than his suit. And when they’ve all gone home And the stage is clear There’s only one that I want here You know I’d give it all up, all the fortune and the fame If you would just, just say you’ll stay…. Takes a bigger man to stay and hold you When everyone else walks away Takes a bigger man to say “I still love you” When no one else says the same. And when they’ve all gone home And the stage is clear There’s only one that I want here You know I’d give it all up, all the fortune and the fame If you would just, just say you’ll stay…. You say, “you’re too to hold, too far to see, That I don’t know anymore who you are to me”. And you say, “I can’t catch up with you, I can’t run anymore. I’m all worn through”. Takes a bigger man to stand by his woman When her heels have grown taller than his boots.
3.
Smile 03:24
SMILE So late in the night Oh I loved him for a while If there’s only change, then nothing lasts. He asked “where’ve you been my dear?” “Oh I was just out with some friends”. “None of your friends smoke cigarettes.” So say it with a smile Don’t try to hide it With every white lie The distance just widens So say it with a smile Please, say it with a smile. He did everything wrong But at least he was honest I was always right But I took something I never wanted. So say it with a smile Don’t try to hide it With every white lie The distance just widens So say it with a smile Please, say it with a smile. I saw a girl She was knitting a scarf She said it was for love.
4.
Orphan 04:02
ORPHAN V.1) “Funny dress you’re wearing” you said, As you slipped between the doors of the almost moving F train On the first day of our love The smile you had in your eyes, the look that caught me by surprise Felt like I’ve always known you, like you were always mine. You used to start a sentence, that I would always end The way that lovers do, but you also were my closest friend You knew just when to hold me, and when I need to be alone And how to show your weakness, and how to be strong… Ch.) Like a petal in the wind Like the thought of giving in Like the magic we once had I am orphaned, orphaned Like a flame that’s losing it’s spark Like an arrow missing its mark Like the love we used to share I am orphaned, orphaned… V.2) When time goes by so quickly, and we are not the same What yesterday meant nothing, could mean the world to us today You wake up in the morning, and wonder where it all went wrong And how you didn’t notice till the love you had is gone… Ch.) Like a petal in the wind Like the thought of giving in Like the magic we once had I am orphaned, orphaned Like a flame that’s losing it’s spark Like an arrow missing its mark Like the love we used to share I am orphaned, orphaned… We are unraveling We are unraveled. Ch.) Like a petal in the wind Like the thought of giving in Like the magic we once had I am orphaned, orphaned Like a flame that’s losing it’s spark Like an arrow missing its mark Like the love we used to share I am orphaned, orphaned…
5.
3/4 and 6/8 03:05
3/4 and 6/8 I hear your heart And it’s the best beat I’ve found. I like ¾ You like 6/8 even more. One, two, three, follow me Catch me please If I fall in love With you. Here put your hand Here put it on my heart Can you feel the dance? Each piece plays its part. Four, five, six, I can’t believe that it’s Falling in love with you Falling in love with you… One, two, three, follow me Catch me please, if I Four, five, six I can’t believe that its Falling in love with you. Falling in love with you. Falling in love with you.
6.
The Most 02:21
Long before the winter had passed While we still had our dreams You used to say “There’ll be better days Just you wait you’ll see”. Chasing Victorian dreams of roasted apples And the smell of morning scones Of candlelight and carriage rides Of wintergreen and snow He slept for days He never changed the clock At daylight savings time Till spring had come The hands had caught up My love was left behind. He said “You never do enough for me” I said “Well you never pull your weight” He said “How can you leave in such desperate times?” I said “Babe, it’s not gonna change.” I’ve learned more than I wanted about how to win a fight Nothing that I would boast I’d rather have learned to be more kind To those I loved the most I’d rather have learned to be more kind To those I loved the most I wish I’d learned to be more kind To you who I loved the most.

about

Recording artist Maya Solovey’s new album FORTE brims with that exuberant American sound: colossal drums, cinematic strings, grand percussive pianos, rollicking guitars, tasteful electronics, and most notably Maya’s full-bodied beatific voice, which sounds as if were made from silk and ache. “I was raised in the woods of Massachusetts, damn it,” laughs Solovey. “I’ve been an American my whole life but somehow this is the first American record I’ve made.”

Yet it took this multilingual songsmith a few trips around the globe and a couple of albums later to realize that she wanted to return home, to what was familiar, embracing many of the American pop sensibilities that detailed her youth. “Every song started with a piano. I’d pound away and sing until my head hurt. On my previous recordings it was more about this delicate voice, accompanied by classical guitars and a ‘world music’ aesthetic, but I had to abandon this approach. I was now fixed on making something that felt robust and colorful, something that spoke to my roots.”

Solovey’s origins extend through much of the American catalogue: from Motown to Soul, onto piano-driven Pop, to the thud and swagger of Funk and Hip Hop, while even blending in some Psych-pop and Folk configurations. And what makes this vibrant collection of songs even more memorable is that it was recorded, produced, and mixed by her live-in boyfriend, two-time Grammy Award Winner, Bassy Bob Brockman (Notorious BIG, Christina Aguilera, Bob Dylan). “When you work with your significant other it becomes much more than just making a record. It’s an act love or better yet a labor of love, and if you don’t put your all into it, well, you can count on sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week,” Brockman jokes.

All jokes aside, as an expert and veteran to the game, Brockman was focused on constructing something masterful, “We were bent on making something that rivaled the high-end production of the big label records. However, we were going to do it on our own terms, proving to the ‘big dogs,’” he laughs, “that we could make a giant lush record at a tenth of the price.”

Besides Brockman, Maya enlisted some of the Brooklyn’s best musicians to round out this fresh towering sound: Kuroma and MGMT’s Hank Sullivant added his psychedelic guitar leanings, renowned classical musician Dave Egger performed on cello, and acclaimed composer Naren Rauch organized all of the arrangements. “There’s something cathartic about making something this massive. When you’re done collaborating on a project like this you feel like you’ve emptied out your soul,” says Solovey, “and I think that’s a good thing.”

But to say that this record is merely “massive” might discredit the songwriting because the lyrical content within depicts an authentic portrait of a couple’s relationship, and it’s treated with the care of a literary novel or an art-house film. From the naïve and playful optimism every couple experiences on “Ring, Ring, Ring” onto the theme of infidelity with “Smile” and finally resolving with an apology on “The Most” where Solovey closes out the record in a whisper, “I wish I’d learned to be more kind to you, who I loved the most.”

The beauty of FORTE is that although the sound is huge the sentiment remains intimate, as so it chronicles this age-old arc of a couple’s relationship in a very contemporary fashion. Solovey adds, “It’s funny we made this big-sounding recording yet at the core it’s still a very personal record. The contrast is ironic, I suppose,” she smiles. “So maybe it’s the irony after all that makes these songs feel so ‘American.’”

credits

released June 19, 2012

Produced by Bassy Bob Brockmann
"Ring Ring Ring" produced by Eric Maltz and Bob Brockmann
All songs written by Maya Solovey, except "Ring Ring Ring", written by Eric Maltz, and "Orphan", written by Maya Solovey, Zach Adam, and Bassy Bob Brockmann.
Recorded at Womb Room Music, Commando Room, and Moon Lab Studios, Brooklyn NY
Engineered and mixed by Bob Brockmann and Eric Gorman at Commando Room, Brooklyn NY
Mastered by Ricardo Gutierrez at Stadium Red, NYC
Art Design by Christine Giberson, www.cgiberson.com
Cover photo by Donna DeMari, www.donnademari.com

Maya Solovey- All vocals, piano, and harmonium
Bassy Bob Brockamnn- bass (obviously...)
Naren Rauch- String Arrangements, guitar, banjo, and ukelele
Eric Maltz- Additional vocals and keyboards
Hank Sullivant- Guitar and Bass
Tommy Mokas- Guitar
Philip Sterk- Pedal Steel
Timo Ellis- Ukelele
Evan Pazner- Drums
Robert "Chicken" Burke- Drums
Dave Eggar- Cello
Ron Lawrence- Viola
Julie Goodale- Viola
Esther Noh- Violin
Chern Hwei Fung- Violin
Pauline Kim Harris-Violin

Thank you so much to our friends, family and colleagues that have supported us. Our gratitude to you is truly immeasurable.

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Maya Solovey Brooklyn, New York

Singing in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Maya Solovéy ropes together an unusual combo of humor, coy sensuality, and an impeccable beauty-- possessed of a voice that is haunting, soothing, and erotic all at the same time.

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