Haley Sheeler Walkin' West CD

“An experience akin to the first time you ever heard Sarah McLachlan, Eva Cassidy, or KT Tunstall”“With all the sterile, emotionless product littering the charts today, it’s nice to hear an album that actually sounds real . . . she has a gift for melody, with lines usually often seeping into your memory upon first listen . . . there are no duds.”So, just who is original singer/songwriter Haley Sheeler? . . . Pennsylvania native, Haley Sheeler, has had a love affair with music all of her life. While her parents had no musical training (or as they readily admit, no musical talent, for that matter), the Sheeler home was never quiet. Music was always there, all genres, always floating through the house from the radio or stereo or her father’s collection of old phonographs. Some of Haley’s earliest memories are of James Taylor’s music, a favorite of her mother’s, and dancing to scratchy old, turn-of-the century records played on one of her Dad’s antique Victrolas.With so much melody around her, it wasn’t surprising when Haley asked to take piano lessons, which she began at the age of 6 and continued for 12 years. During that time, she also added flute, baritone, guitar and banjo to her repertoire. While her love for piano and classical compositions still lingers, her ultimate musical high came when, at the age of 13, she picked up the guitar and began to write music, finding her voice, both literally and figuratively.Soon thereafter, another pivotal moment occurred in Haley’s life when she joined her parents at a Jackson Browne concert. As she watched Browne on the stage, alone, with only his guitar collection and piano, putting together an impromptu set list with requests literally shouted from the audience, Haley says, “it was one of those moments. Everyone knew his music. I thought how cool it would be for everyone to know my music.” It was an experience that confirmed what she had known in her heart all along . . . she wanted to perform.At the age of 15, she started making the rounds in the coffeehouse circuit and performing throughout southeastern Pennsylvania with a local showcase group, the Acoustic Roadshow. Inspired greatly by notable singer/songwriters of the 1960’s and 70’s, such as Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, as well as current greats, Sarah McLachlan, Ani DiFranco, Joan Osbourne, Natalie Merchant, Ben Harper, and Damien Rice, her sets featured crowd-pleasing retro covers as well as her own original music.In 2005, deciding that it was time to transform her life-long love affair with music into something tangible, Haley headed for the recording studio. In August of that year, at the age of 17, she released her debut CD. Entitled “Closer to the Ground,” the CD has been met with critical acclaim in the media throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. The guitar-based, 13 track CD, covers some lesser-touched musical classics (“For What It’s Worth”/Stephen Stills; “Hallelujah”/Leonard Cohen; and “You Can Close Your Eyes”/James Taylor) and brings something resembling brilliant interpretation to the table in regenerating these pieces. While the familiar aspects of the songs are endearing, the freshness of her voice, her ability to do sultry slide or precision hard chop, all conspire to make a first listen to her renditions an experience akin to the first time you ever heard Sarah McLachlan, Eva Cassidy, or KT Tunstall. As for the 7 originals songs heard on the CD (7-1/2 if you count a partial rewrite of “What Is It Good For?/War”), she continues with a commanding use of her vocals, variously being the lamenting soul or the wistful dreamer; and it’s hard not to be lulled into her tales by the siren of her voice.With the release of “Closer to the Ground,” her fan base grew, as did the demand for her performances. Showcasing with the Acoustic Roadshow remained an ongoing staple in her schedule as well. Wh