Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter
Della Manley
DELLA MANLEY is at a crossroads. After the release and corresponding critical acclaim of her debut album, Ashes on the Windowsill (1998), Della achieved local fame in the manner that a lone star shines brightly in the quite night sky. And then, she just as gradually disappeared.
However, today Della will again quietly command the attention of a cult following with what is expected to be a great performance of old favourites and touch of the new at 'Take Me Away: Richie Stephens and Friends'. The show will be held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel and features other noted entertainers, including Ken Boothe, Ernie Smith, Pam Hall and of course, Richie Stephens.
After a seven-year hiatus, (which was spent working on her sophomore album and doing 'bread and butter' shows on the north coast), Della is excited about stepping back in the limelight. "I'm looking forward to it. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to work with a band," she said.
That, plus the fact that she is a "big big fan" of Ernie Smith, Ken Boothe and Pam Hall, makes this a good opportunity. She also had high praises for Richie Stephens, whom she described as "warm and professional" and a good person to work with.
But this is not the crossroads. The sophomore album, tentatively titled Barbican Square is, not unlike her other works, symbolic. "One of the songs is called Barbican Square and when I see Barbican Square I feel like it's a crossroad," she said. "I feel like I'm at a turning point." The 'turning point' is evident on the album, she says.
While she remains true to the adult contemporary folk music that defined her earlier effort, Della says this second album is "uptempo and definitely less melancholy".
"The other one was more melodic and acoustic," she says.
But any change is happening slowly. She has maintained her stance about not covering 'popular' songs. The one exception on the upcoming album is for a song that she really loves and, in truth, one that is not very 'popular'. With You in Mind, the only cover on the album, was first done by another folk rock singer, Marianne Faithfull. "All the other songs are original. Some are co-written and there are some poems by Rachel Manley that I put to music," she said.
Much of Della's experiences inform the lyrics of her music and, as the presence of the poems suggest, are very personal.
So, does this exposure make her feel vulnerable? "I guess I do open up myself," she says, while admitting that her music serves another purpose. It is done with the hope of "touching people in some way", she says, which accounts for the personal nature of the lyrics and, perhaps most importantly, it serves as a cathartic element as well. "When I finish a song it's the most fantastic feeling," she says. "This is how I work out my issues sometimes."
So with all those issues worked out there is one more thing. Have you now mastered the guitar? "No, no I don't think so," she laughs. "I think I'm a little better. I wouldn't call myself a master."
