For his self-titled debut full-length album, Steven Taetz has come up with a daringly ambitious concept. The Alberta-raised, Toronto-based singer/songwriter terms it “a Canadian songbook” for it comprises original songs that are connected thematically and geographically. The subtle but strong sense of place in this compelling record reflects the unique and imaginative method of its creation.   In recent years, Taetz has found international success with compositions in the dance and electronica realm, but he became eager to return to rootsier musical terrain. “I grew up listening to folk, adult contemporary pop and country, and I wanted to explore the creative processes of other people writing in those genres. With that in mind, I thought I’d write my way across Canada, figuring out how an artist from each province or region in Canada wrote, what they were interested in and wanted to say.”   Steven began reaching out to Canadian singer/songwriters he admired, checking to see if they had any interest in co-writing with him for his new project. He was thrilled at the positive response he received, and the results are now vividly showcased on Steven Taetz. The compositions are all co-writes, with his collaborators comprising one impressive and highly-regarded grouping. The material was co-written with award-winning artists including Adaline, Emma-Lee, Peter Katz, Leela Gilday, The Wild Strawberries, Tara MacLean, and Geraldine Hollett of The Once.   Geographically, these collaborations spread across the Great White North, from Newfoundland (The Once) to Northwest Territories (Leela Gilday) to Vancouver (Adaline). Logistics (and expense) meant that not all the co-writing sessions took place in person, though you’d never detect that. Steven served as the common thread in co-writing with each, creating a warm and organic sound on all the material. He co-wrote with each artist in the manner they each felt most comfortable, online by chat, email, phone, and as time allowed, in person at the Royal Conservatory (where he worked throughout this project). Over the course of one evening or several months, each writer would create and finesse the song until both were satisfied.   Taetz is justifiably proud of all the tracks, though a couple have extra significance. To Steven, “End Of The Lonely Road,” the opening number and first single “speaks to the themes of the album, of being away from loved ones, and of coming home. Adaline is such a beautiful songwriter. She and I both come from a church-going Protestant background, and that gospel choir style of harmonies is reflected here.”   One song on the album that has already led a fascinating life is “Drive,” Steven’s collaboration with The Wild Strawberries and Juno-winning artist/writer/producer Gavin Bradley. Originally recorded in a dance music style, it achieved serious international success upon its release in 2011, spurred by its inclusion on top dance compilations and released by Madonna’s go-to producer DJ Paul Oakenfold’s label Perfecto and distributed by Armin Van Buuren’s label Armada (Best Global Record Label 2013 winner for fifth consecutive year, IDMAs).  Taetz explains that “when I wanted to work on this acoustic roots material, I decided ‘Drive’ was a true beginning of this collaborative process, and a good point of transition, connecting the previous electronic material to this new sound.” The fact that the seriously catchy track works so well in both settings testifies to its strength.   Themes of travel, distance and separation are key components of life as a Canadian singer/songwriter, and this was a mutual point of reference for Taetz and his creative compatriots. “The life of a musician here can be daunting and isolating, and that was a common thread we all shared,” he says. “It was also fun to reference Canadiana in a creative and artistic way without having to beat it over someone’s head that we are writing about the Maple leaf or something. We sought to integrate some essence of the Canadian lifestyle within the songs artistically while retaining an authentic and personal story.” The song “Midnight Sun,” for example, includes reference to the midnight sun phenomena of the Northern Territories, but co-writer Leela Gilday deftly included lovely Aboriginal imagery such as to “paint the land,” sending good wishes that our loved ones return.   The compositional approach varied with each collaborator, Steven recalls. “Sometimes they’d have a lyric idea they felt strongly about and wanted to bring, sometimes their strength was in instrumental writing, and other times we’d work together on each part. I wrote ‘Waiting For Wishes’ with Emma -Lee in Toronto, and she wouldn’t let me pick up an instrument until we’d thoroughly talked about what I wanted to say and where I was at personally. Then she just started this story, and we wrote the song in a couple of hours.”   The co-writing process proved richly educational for Taetz. “Part of the process for me was to figure out what I needed to work on and what my strengths were,” he says. “I think I have a gift for melody, but at times to complement the other writer contributed the other parts of the song. This forced me to explore and be more collaborative, and get a sense of how other people write. Peter Katz and I were in an RCM studio for an afternoon, each writing lyrics, melody and arrangement for ‘Unspoken’ as if we both knew where the song wanted to go. When the co-writing process works that well, it’s such a fun process of discovery.”   Not that Steven is a songwriting novice. He has written extensively in the dance and pop realms, often with Gavin Bradley. They’ve written material for the likes of Juno winner Simone Denny, Billboard chart-topping Brazilian artist Amannda, and Sony Spain’s Juanjo Martin.  Taetz’s talent came to the attention of Gary Salzman of Big Management NYC (responsible for launching the careers of mega-producers David Guetta, Tony Moran, Todd Terry) in 2010, with Salzman signing Steven to a management and co-publishing deal through Shapiro Bernstein (US) and Universal Publishing (Europe).   Armed with his potent collection of new roots-oriented material, Steven recruited Rob Szabo to produce his debut album. As a producer, Szabo (Peter Katz, Scott Cooper) has been nominated for several Juno Awards, sharing a recent win as producer for Steve Strongman’s Blues Album of the Year in 2013. He has won Canadian Folk and Maple Blues awards, and is also a highly-regarded singer/songwriter. He and Taetz instantly clicked creatively. “We arranged the songs together in pre-production, then recorded the guitar parts in Rob’s studio,” Steven explains. “Rob also played the majority of the instruments, and everything came together very organically. Each time I heard Rob enthusiastically yell ‘Yeah!’ at the end of the take, I knew we were making something special, and that made us work even harder to make it match the vision.”   The pair then set up shop at Toronto’s The Hive studio, bringing in some of the city’s best players to contribute. That list includes Alex McMaster on cello, Jesse O’Brien on piano, Adam Warner on drums, and Jill Daley on violin. Steven explains that “I just wanted us to create a landscape of sound, using strings. Where we used electric guitar, we made it very atmospheric.” That approach is exemplified on the haunting and ghostly-sounding “The Miner’s Hymn.” The fact that co-writer Geraldine Hollett (The Once) lost her miner grandfather to black lung disease just adds to that song’s emotional power. “Geraldine and I co-wrote in between sessions by e mail, as her trio The Once were working on their own album at the same time. We would give each other chills with the new lyrics each time, telling our own personal stories through one song.”   The atmospheric sonic landscapes on Steven Taetz are the perfect setting for both the poetic lyricism of these songs and Steven’s pure and emotionally eloquent tenor. Despite his classical training, he never succumbs to the temptation to show off vocally, choosing to use this potent weapon in the service of the song only.   The merits of his project were quickly recognized by FACTOR (The Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records), as the Government of Canada recording arts-funding body awarded it five grants to take it from development to completion.   Steven Taetz’s passion and talent for music is at least part-genetic. “My grandfather is a country music singer and guitarist who once opened up for Wilf Carter on the radio,” he explains. Both sides of his family have musical talents, and he enjoyed creating live productions with his cousins even before starting school. Piano and voice lessons began at a young age for Steven, and he displayed an ability at writing music while in grade school, coming up with original melodies and writing witty lyrics for cover songs.   Pursuing music academically was the next step, and Taetz graduated with honours from university in Alberta with a BA in Fine Arts, Vocal Performance and Music. “That was all classical and opera, lieder and French music,” he recalls. “I still rehearse classically, so I have some technique in place.”   Steven’s stylistic eclecticism was already in evidence then. He jokes that “my guilty pleasure at university was adult contemporary music, and artists like Carole King and James Taylor. Every once in a while, my voice teacher would let me include non-classical repertoire as long as I performed it properly, and balanced it with more heavy duty technical pieces.   In 2000, he joined an AC-oriented acoustic band on campus called Into The Light, and they toured North America, performing at schools, festivals, corporate events and conferences and recruiting for their University.   Performance now comes naturally to Taetz, and he has proved himself comfortable and very capable on a fascinating array of stages. These have ranged from dimly-lit jazz club the Blue Room in Seoul, Korea (he was teaching English in Korea at the time) to famed Carnegie Hall in New York City. “A select group of us from university had the opportunity to perform there with a larger group of singers. It was a Beethoven symphony,” Steven recalls, “and it was like having an out of body experience standing on that stage.   As a lead vocalist of Into The Light, Taetz performed in front of 30,000 people at Rogers Centre in Toronto and millions worldwide by satellite, representing his university at a major international conference. He would also perform on the radio in Hawaii at Honolulu Cathedral, and at Disneyland and Disney World.   In 2008, he performed on the mainstage at Toronto’s Pride Festival, sandwiched between former Spice Girl Mel C and Dragonette, and he has made other appearances at that fest. Over the past year, Steven has also performed his original material at the Toronto Christmas Festival, City of Toronto’s Indulge Festival, and at such notable Toronto live music venues as The Cameron House and Hugh’s Room. At the latter venue, he opened for Canadian folk legend Connie Kaldor, with impressed Hugh’s Room booker Holmes Hooke terming his songs “a thing of beauty.”   Steven’s philosophy on performance is that “I just want to get up, enjoy myself and put other people at ease too. I enjoy that sense of storytelling onstage, taking people to a different place.”   Always eager for live performances, Steven’s stylistic transition back to more acoustic fare was a conscious effort. “I began to find electronic dance music limiting in its opportunities for live performances,” he notes. “I’ve been recording songs for top DJ/producers who will release the song, and play the material for a stadium of folks in Russia, Spain or Brazil, but I wouldn’t have the same live opportunities.” He is now ready to share this new album for audiences locally, nationally and internationally, beginning with a CD release party show at Toronto’s Dakota Tavern on Sept. 25.  Dates in Alberta, New York and beyond will follow.   That is just the beginning. Steven Taetz has tapped into a rich musical and lyrical seam now. This album is the first to include songs from his cross-Canadian project, with more to be shared down the road. He has also collaborated with such other elite songwriters as Connie Kaldor, Cara Luft (of the Wailin’ Jennies), Kim Beggs, Caracol, Andy Brown, Gabrielle Papillon, and throat singer Celina Kalluk for future releases.   To quote the title of one of the gems on Steven Taetz, this is “the calm before the storm.” “That song is about the excitement and anticipation that is building,” he explains. “I see the storm as the flurry of activity ahead.”   Bring on the storm!   (官网资料)