SMFA music lecturer Anna Neale-Widdison has released a new album Wide Sky, which is available on all the usual music platforms such as Spotify and iTunes. Anna Neale is a multi-talented singer/songwriter, composer, session vocalist and voice-over artist. She’s worked professionally in the music industry for over a decade. In that time she has toured the world, and has showcased at major music conferences across the globe and released two albums and two EP’s to critical acclaim.
Inspired by personal experience, tumultuous current affairs, and views surrounding her home, Wide Sky fuses modern pop with Arabic music, and continues the world music theme of her previous album River Man to ask the question, “Where is humanity going?”
Dan Chisholm, BBC Broadcaster, commented: “It reminds me how I felt the very first time I heard Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. Like then, I feel this is a very special piece of work. Many congratulations.”
Featuring performances by a talented array of Syrian musicians and vocalists from the English National Opera (ENO), Wide Sky was co-produced with Jez Larder at Skyline Studios, who has previously worked with David Bowie, Estelle, The Damned, and Amy Macdonald.
Anna’s previous album River Man was voted by R2 (Rock’n’Reel) magazine as one of their top albums of 2012.
Anna’s showcase appearances include Brighton’s Great Escape Festival in 2010; the world renowned Canadian Music Week festival in 2009 in Toronto; the sell-out BPI showcase as part of Canada’s NXNE festival in 2006 (where she was the highest rated solo artist); and the NEMO Music Festival in Boston USA in 2005. After her Boston performance Anna’s track “All For Nothing” topped the NEMO Starbucks download charts across New England.
As well as her composing and performing credits, Anna has lectured at the University of Cambridge, The British Museum, BIMM (Brighton & London), Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Hertfordshire. She is also a member of the Oxford Brookes’s music industry board. Her research interests include songwriting and the music of Ancient Greece.
More info here: http://www.annaneale.net