Already recognized as one of the country music's most expressive vocalists, Sarah Darling emerges as an equally eloquent songwriter in Angels & Devils, her second album from Black River Entertainment. Angels & Devils will be released February 15th, 2011.
From the eleven songs in this new collection, Sarah Darling co-wrote nine, including the irresistibly catchy first single, "Something To Do With Your Hands." Due out February 20th, the song is shaping up to be the friskiest and frankest come-on tune since Mel Tillis' bawdy "I Got The Hoss" in 1977.
2010 was a particularly high-profile year for Darling, who made her album debut the year before with Every Monday Morning. Her music video for "Jack Of Hearts" went Top 10 on GAC its first week out and earned her a spot hosting the network's "Top 20 Countdown." "Being artist-of-the-month on GAC [Great American Country television] was a big highlight for me," Sarah notes.
In September, propelled by heavy airplay of the song on XM Satellite Radio, Darling joined with Amazon.com to offer a free download of her cover version of the U2 classic, "With Or Without You." The promotion yielded 40,000 downloads within the month. Darling includes "With Or Without You" in Angel & Devils, as well as her distinctive rendition of Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word."
Darling reveals herself as a master lyricist on Angels & Devils, conjuring up love-drenched emotions that range from longing to despair to serene contentment. The incomparable Vince Gill sings with her on "Bad Habit," a bold declaration of intent that starts with the riveting line, "I want to be your cigarette." Elsewhere, Darling summons up vivid memories of the boy who first breaks a young girl's heart: "He's the first taste of something you shouldn't have / He's the first lie you tell to your mom and dad." The album overflows with such observational gems.
Jimmy Nichols, produced Angels & Devils, with an assist on two of the cuts from Darling's frequent co-writer, Adam Shoenfeld. Angels & Devils samples Sarah's songwriting from her earliest days in Nashville onward. The plaintive "Stop The Bleeding" is her oldest song on the album and the one that earned her the record deal with Black River. "My writing has definitely changed over the past few years," she asserts. "I call what I do now 'Sarah Darling 2.0.' It has a lot more character to it. My first album was very much about a lost love. Since then, my writing has become more broad and venturous. I write about things that are relevant to everybody."
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