Lisa Bell

With the release of her emotionally compelling third album Dancing On The Moon, Lisa Bell continues her beautiful creative evolution as a multi-talented singer/songwriter expressing stories that will appeal to listeners universally. The Boulder, Colorado-based artist releases a 12 song-set featuring nine collaborations between Bell, electric guitarist Bob Story and acoustic guitarist Mark Oblinger (Firefall), who produced the album and wrote the title track. Embracing the genre-transcending ...

With the release of her emotionally compelling third album Dancing On The Moon, Lisa Bell continues her beautiful creative evolution as a multi-talented singer/songwriter expressing stories that will appeal to listeners universally. The Boulder, Colorado-based artist releases a 12 song-set featuring nine collaborations between Bell, electric guitarist Bob Story and acoustic guitarist Mark Oblinger (Firefall), who produced the album and wrote the title track. Embracing the genre-transcending spirit of today’s great independent artists, Bell cooks up a bubbling stew of roots, blues, jazz, pop, and country, with spicy vocals simmered to perfection. Listeners will hear hints of the eloquent charm of Norah Jones, the richly textured, intimate jazzy soul of Adele and Lizz Wright mixed with a sassy Keb’ Mo’ vibe. Critics say “Bell has one of the most polished, effective voices I've heard in a long time… Bell's flawless voice evokes emotion in every phrase.” (Performing Songwriter). “Dancing on the Moon” is a heartfelt song about a person who is spinning just out of reach, a strong metaphor about the life that Bell and many others are seeking, incorporating a passionate career that is true and rich but often seems unattainable. Other original tracks will include “Move On,” a song about how hard it is to let go of the safe and familiar, even when it’s time to move forward in our lives; “Carry On,” about taking that first step away from a troubled relationship, not knowing what lies down the road; “Stand Up,” a message to all about the steps we each can take to better the environment; and “Better Days,” about looking forward and finding the proverbial silver lining in the times of great challenge. True to her desire not to do cover songs unless she is working within unique, unfamiliar arrangements, Bell takes a colorful yet stripped down approach to James Taylor’s “Fire And Rain” and Tim Harden’s “Misty Roses.” Enthusiastic audiences have been enjoying Bell’s performances for years, and those who have been behind her since the early part of the 2000s have witnessed her growth from being primarily a jazz standards performer to an emerging indie singer/songwriter with deep jazz, roots rock and blues influences. Bell, who has a B.A. in Vocal Performance from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, has performed as the opening act for the 2004 JVC Winter Park Jazz Festival, on the same bill as Christopher Cross and Boney James. She also played as the opening act for guitar great Stanley Jordan in 2005 & 2007, and has been featured in “Jazz On The Tracks” performances aboard special trains touring through the Rocky Mountains. Beyond her own headlining gigs, she has sung backup in concert for Bobby McFerrin, Marilyn May and Ida McBeth and has done extensive studio session work, including a cartoon character for an upcoming episode of a PBS children’s television show. Reflecting a transitional phase of her life, both artistically and personally, Dancing On The Moon is more modern sounding and guitar-driven than her earlier, piano-focused work and includes some unique creative production touches. On some tunes, drummer Christian Teele used a wooden drum box, and on others, he used an antique Samsonite suitcase to create a unique bass drum sound. Aside from showcasing Bell’s enormous growth and confidence as a vocalist and writer, Dancing on the Moon takes a bold step in the esoteric technical realm as well. Building steady momentum towards her ultimate goal of incorporating healing benefits into her popular music, Bell’s newest CD was produced using A424 RA Music tuning rather than the standard A440 frequency. This frequency is believed to bring healing benefits to the brain and body. The choice to tune all instruments in the “man made” A440 (A=440 cycles per second) frequency was done around 1925 so that all instruments could play together and have a common tuning. But Bell points out that classical composers like Handel, Bach and Mozart composed and performed in A424 and the original tuning fork held a frequency of A424.5. The "A" note in RA Music has a frequency centered on A=424 cycles per second, which turns out to be more in tune with the natural world. Many animal sounds including a whale’s song, the bird’s chirp and the wolf’s howl are all centered on the natural frequency of A424. RA's "Natural Frequency Music®" is based on the sounds of nature so it creates an encompassing experience - beneficial to your brain and body. Bell and her producer had the idea that by tuning Dancing On The Moon’s tracks to 424, the vibration of the music will be compatible with the listener’s vibrations and so they will not only hear it in their ears but feel it with their entire body. In conjunction with the spring 2010 release of the album, which will feature tracks recorded in A424, Bell plans to post some of the same cuts on her website (www.lisabellmusic.com) in A440 so that her fans can hear and feel the difference. As part of her ongoing studies of sound healing, she will ask if the A424 recording affects listeners in different ways, if it touches the body, heart and soul any deeper than the A440 standard tuning. “Music tuned to A424 speaks to the heart chakra,” says Bell. “Popular music can affect us on a deeper level than we ever thought. While this aspect of the project touches on where I am spiritually and my experimentation with sound healing, the songs themselves reflect where I am as a writer. I constantly feel as though I need to get these stories out, but this time, unlike on the last album, they’re not all about me. As many of the songs show, this is a time of big transformation for me and for the world. I’m really putting my stake in the ground as a singer/songwriter of original and meaningful material. Committing to this next phase in my career is the only way for me to “move on,” and I’m really excited to see what happens next.”