ARTIST BIO"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself...What a man can be, he must be." - Abraham Maslow
This statement so perfectly describes the heart and desire of songwriter and singing prowess, Barb Elyett.
Passionate would be an understatement when it comes to Barb's love for music. Her voice is nothing less than dynamic and drips with conviction as she delivers songs that grab the attention of listeners.
To see Barb perform is to experience her child-like, transparent nature that effortlessly exemplifies Maslow's statement " a musician must make music if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself."
Following the lead of artists like Loreena McKennitt, Barb established her own record label, Aleta Records, on which she recently released her debut CD, The Simple Side. Working with award-winning producer and engineer, Bill Buckingham (Carolyn Arends, Rita MacNeil), at The Palace Studios in Vancouver, BC, Barb has truly taken her talent to the next level.
10 out of the 11 songs on the album were written by Barb and the 11th song is a chilling self-arranged rendition of The Lord's Prayer that can truly blow your socks off! Track #5 "Come To Me," based on Matt 11:28, is a touching performance of Jesus' call to "come" that recently was awarded an Honorable Mention at the Billboard World Song Contest and other songs on the album like "Thorns and Fragrant Roses" and "The Simple Side" are currently receiving international airplay and accolades.
Combining Barb's unique ability for introspective, thought provoking lyrics, transcendent piano-based melodies and stirring vocals that contain the conviction of a preacher, Barb's album The Simple Side is sure to be timeless and undoubtedly a mainstay in CD players for years to come.
The title and theme of the album, The Simple Side, arose out of Barb's own desire to get back to the simplicity of knowing who she truly was at her core and expressing that. The more she searched, the more Barb started recognizing a oneness in her quest that pointed to God as the ultimate source of simplicity. Each song on the album therefore contains a scriptural "key" that opens a door to the "simple" or God-side of life. To know where she was and where she is now is to understand why Barb is often quoted as saying "no music...no life."
Throughout her journey, Barb performed on numerous occasions by invitation at Christian conferences and events and was a soloist for the Vancouver Outreach Community Soul Gospel Choir in which she performed at the historic Orpheum Theatre and Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver, BC as well as many churches in and around the Vancouver area.
After serving as musical director at her church for four years, she was invited to be a lead vocalist for the Ninth Hour Band. She continued to make regular appearances with them for two years. Barb also had the privilege of sharing the stage with Celine Dion at GM Place on her North American tour as well as gracing the independent movie scene with a riveting performance of Sweet Heart of Jesus in the movie Bad Money. She has also shared the stage with Michael Buble and her vocal talent has been used extensively by the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Vancouver Jingle Industry.
"In every adversity there is a seed of equal or greater benefit." For me, the benefit of going through my own personal set of challenges was that it has put a desire in me to communicate hope and a better way to live to others that may have had a rough start in life. It is a joy to see how what I have learned from my experience is impacting others in a positive way."
SYNOPSIS OF THE NEW CD!
"...The simple side of life, is where I wanna stay..."
This project is not so much a collection of individual songs, but rather a vignette of songs that are woven together to reinforce a larger whole.
Getting back to "the simple side" of life became such a pressing desire in my own life, that the concept of simplicity kept bursting forth in my writing for quite some time. The more I wrote and the more I searched, the more I kept recognizing a "oneness" in my quest.
Whether it was finding who I truly was at my core, getting to a place of peace and fulfillment, eliminating stress, or recapturing joy, that "oneness" and point of ultimate simplicity was contained in a single place....God himself. There was no other way, no other answer, no other solution.
Each song on the album therefore, contains a scriptural "key" that unlocks a door that opens to "the simple side" of life. On "the simple side" there is no confusion, no complicated attempts at life, and no stress. "The simple side" only advocates all the wonderful attributes of God and calls us to "come."
I hope that what I've learned and share through these songs will help you to always stay close to God and reside with him on "the simple side." _______________________________________________________
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