We have yet another new track for you today and it comes from rising singer/songwriter Bari Leigh. The talented artist is following up her 2014 release Tonight, I'm Unchained. Bari’s dynamic and warmly organic sensibility encompasses Southern-fried riff rock, Motown, country, classic soul, blues, and R&B. She proudly embraces the tradition of brazen female vocalists who shattered paradigms and left a trail of broken hearts. Surrounded by powerful women, Leigh studied the work of the iconic female artists who came before her, citing Janis Joplin, Bobbie Gentry, Patsy Cline and Etta James as her biggest influences.
Q&A from Bari Leigh about the song "Cuz It's Broken":
1) Tell me about what inspired this song. What prompted you to write it?
My old roommate and I were talking about ex-boyfriends and how they always seem to linger. They think we can "still be friends" after a horrible breakup. That almost NEVER works! There is a reason we call it a break-up. It's broken. It can't be salvaged, let it go. So... we decided to write a song for anyone on the fence. It's easier said than done, but learn to be happy being by yourself. When you're seeing rain on a sunny day because you're so torn apart by another person, pack up your records and move along.
2) Do you think that writing songs like this are good therapy to work through thoughts and feelings about things like break-ups?
Writing is literally the ONLY way I can personally get through a break-up. Once the words are on paper, I'm cleansed of the negative feelings. However, when I can't find the words because I'm too emotional or flustered, listening to the perfect song makes me feel like I'm not alone. This is a story as old as time... how we deal with it is what makes us the hero of our own story. We can wallow, or we can use our minds (and our pens) to escape the pain.
3) How was it to record this song? And great studio stories from when you recorded this song in particular?
This song was especially fun. We built it from the ground up in the studio. I went to Ryan (my producer) with my guitar and the song and we recorded our scratch track. All of the sudden, we were flooded with ideas! We had the whole thing structured and just about finished in a day. Ryan is such a fun producer, we really get each other. It's easy to bounce ideas off of each other and have them work.
There is one part of the song, at the end, where we layer a ton of vocal tracks. One of them is really, REALLY high. Ryan had faith I could hit the notes and I was so positive I couldn't. After about 45 minutes of screeching cats, we made it work! That's why he's so successful. He pushes artists past their breaking point and gets results!
4) What is your favorite lyric from the song and why?
I have a few lines I'm really proud of. This song is about a subject that has been done a million times, so we had to make it feel new and authentic.
"It's the oldest song but the bass just don't sound the same" - love is the oldest story in the book but this love doesn't feel right
"Go and tell your Mama I won't be there for dinner time" - every time I've been in a serious relationship, I end up getting really close with their mother, which makes the breakup harder for everyone. I once had a boyfriend's mom offer to pay me to stay with their son (this is a true story, believe it or not). This line was our way of teasing that side of a breakup.
5) What do you think the song adds to the record, "Honey & Gravel"? What do you hope listeners will take away from hearing it?
"Honey & Gravel" has sweet moments, like "Parsons" for example, where you just want to curl up with a glass of wine and cry. Then there's the sassy side. "Cuz It's Broken" shows listeners that they can be tough, even through heartbreak. They don't have to crumble and feel weak because of another human being. They just need to realize it's broken for a reason (or 12), pick themselves up by the bootstraps and move along to bigger, better things.
I want people to be able to listen to "Honey & Gravel" no matter what mood they're in. That's why every song is so different.... because we're all so different.
Honey And Gravel is out April 28th.
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