The title cut of my new CD, "A Beautiful World", was conceived during covid. She is the youngest of 3 covid songs. The older 2 were riddled with despair but “A Beautiful World” survived because when I sat down to play the piano it was always A Beautiful World that gave me a little peace and hope.
I found many of these incredible musicians from all over the world on Fiverr. I'm grateful for their talent, joy and caring as they gave so much of themselves to each song.
I had the pleasure of recording live on Digging Holes, and Chicken Scratch with Jonatha Brooke, Alex Bachari, Casey Wasner, Bob Edwards and the Ocean Way Singers at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville.
A big thank you to Ben Holts. Ben’s expertise, insights and encouragement while recording most of the lead vocals at Studio 800 was a priceless.
Finally, thank you my dear Bob for encouraging me in all my music adventures over these many years. I love you.
Ellen
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NEW ALBUM RELEASE DATE 9-1-24
MEET THE BAND
All Songs Written by Ellen Edwards
Production
Ellen Edwards, Ben Holst -Vocals, Jonatha Brooke -Chicken Scratch & Diggin Holes
Engineering & Editing
Ellen Edwards-Editing all Songs
Ben Holst-Atlanta, GA-Lead Vocals-Engineering & Editing
Austin Atwood Nashville, TN-Diggin Holes, Chicken Scratch-Engineer
Mixing & Mastering
Furkan Gulus-Turkey
CD Cover Art & Graphic Design
Kalli Edwards- CD Cover and Graphic Design-Atlanta GA area
Cindia Cameron-Ellen Photos -Atlanta GA area
Ellen Edwards-CD Front Cover Photo
Piano
Ellen Edwards-Atlanta, GA -Chicken Scratch, Diggin Holes, Let Me Cry, Drivin Alone, Beautiful World, Funny Life, Her Garden, One Way Blues
Robbie Kondor-New York, New York area-I Found You
Guitar
Jack Haigh-United Kingdom-A Beautiful World, Her Garden, Let Me Cry, Fields of Home
Alex Bachari Nashville, TN-Chicken Scratch, Diggin Holes
Wassim Rahmani-Algeria-Drivin Alone, One Way Blues, Funny Life
Jonatha Brooke-Minneapolis, MN-Chicken Scratch
Ben Holst-Atlanta GA-A Funny Life- Rhythm Guitar
Drums
Glenn Welman- South Africa, A Funny Life, Her Garden, One Way Blues
Jake Naugle-Portugal, Drivin Alone
Casey Wasner-Nashville TN, Chicken Scratch, Diggin Holes
Percussion
Gabriel Rodriguez-Venezuela- Beautiful World
Jonatha Brooke- Minneapolis,MN- -Diggin Holes-Timbales
Ellen Edwards- Atlanta GA- A Funny Life-Shaker
Bass
Marvin (Marvelous) Masok-Nigeria-Her Garden, Let Me Cry, Drivin Alone,
A Beautiful World, A Funny Life
Bob Edwards-Atlanta GA-Chicken Scratch, One Way Blues
Alex Bachari Nashville, TN, Diggin Holes.
Ben Holst-Atlanta, GA-I Found You
Strings & Violin
Boris Sevastyanov-Ukraine-I Found You
Maria Betania Hernandez-Brazil- I Found You
Thisara Bandara-Sri Lanka-One Way Blues
Trumpet
Gergo Bille-Budapest, Hungary-Chicken Scratch
Harmonies
Ellen Edwards- Atlanta, GA, All Songs
Jonatha Brooke- Minnesota, MN, Chicken Scratch, Diggin Holes
Casey Wasner- Nashville, TN, Diggin Holes
Ocean Way Chorus-Barbara Lorello, Joy Newby, Anna Devere, Kent Bohlmann, Kristine Artymowski, Bob Edwards, Fran Lucci, Ann Brewster, Jeanette Crooks, Stephanie Sammons, Jonatha Brooke, Casey Wasner - Performed in Nashville, TN, Chicken Scratch
Chicken Scratch
I feel like a chicken at her scratch. A thousand chickens at my back. Tryin to get outside this coop to find a quiet place to roost. I got it goin, goin fast. Like a chicken at her scratch. I can’t say yes. I can’t say no. I need some time to call my own.
I gotta get up, gotta gotta get up and go. Yea I gotta, gotta get up, gotta, gotta get up and go. Why they always pecking on me. Why they always peckin, pecking on me.
I’ll admit I’m out of gas. A thousand chickens at my back. Get your little beaks away, I’m headed outside to play. I gotta get up, gotta gotta get up and go. Yea I gotta, gotta get up, gotta, gotta get up and go. No More, No more peckin, peckin on me. No more, no more peckin, peckin on me.
A Beautiful World
Songbirds start the the day, they seem to love the morning. They chirp and flit away. A dear looks up from foraging and I see a cardinal out my window and A beautiful World.
The sun is sinking low, the clouds and fire slow dancing. She changes every show. Some soft and some demanding and that gets mirrored in the water. What a Beautiful World. In the night when stars arrive. When I awake to sunshine. I see a mist that holds the mountains in the morning. I see the clouds that shine with majesty and glory. When I look inside the crevices and curls I see a beautiful world. Blue and gray’s turned black. The days gone still and quiet. As the current falls, stars sing and wake the silence. I watch the moonlight kiss the water. What a Beautiful World. In the night when stars arrive. When I awake to sunshine. I see a mist that holds the mountains in the morning. I see the clouds that shine with majesty and glory. When I look inside the crevices and curls I see a beautiful world.
Fields of Home
There’s a field of golden majesty and light. A meadow soft and warm. It’s where I rest my Soul, where my Spirit rides the wind, in the golden fields of home. And the path I walk that always leads me there reminds me to be still. To hear the call from the meadow from the light to the golden fields of home. I’m on my way. I’ll be back in your arms again. I’m returning to you my friend through the fields of home. I’m on my way. I remember I promised you to return to the love we knew through the fields of home. And we meet again in the majesty and light in a meadow soft and warm. It’s where our Soul’s can sing and where our Spirits ride the wind in the golden fields of home. I’m on my way. I’ll be back in your arms again. I’m returning to you my friend through the fields of home. I’m on my way. I remember I promised you to return to the love we knew through the fields of home.
Drivin Alone
Not a soul on this road. It’s raining hard and it’s too damn cold. No lights, no map, no GPS. I’m out here drivin alone. I’ll be a rock or a child. I can’t back down my minds gone wild. Seems like the worlds turned upside down and I’m out here drivin alone. Worry, worry doesn’t do no good. I’ve plugged the holes with dust it’s not even wood.
I’m out here drivin alone. Will you help me? Will you help me please. Will you help me find my way? I can’t see the road. I’m out here drivin alone. A crowded bus pulls upside. The doors come open wide. “Hey you gotta map, I got supplies. C’mon no drivin alone.” Worry, worry doesn’t do no good. I’ve plugged the holes with dust it’s not even wood. I’m out here drivin alone. Will you help me? I can help you too. We can make our way together not alone. No more driven alone..No more driven alone.
Diggin Holes
Life's been in black & white, I let that wily fox steel my color. Been diggin down into an empty well. Draggin life behind me, waitin for a breath of inspiration and spending too much time just diggin holes. I see those eyes that blaze inside that empty skull. They’re hating waiting. I feel their flames now I’m standing naked on a wire. Should I jump or will I fall or should I stand here contemplating waiting or try to stop myself from diggin holes? I forget which way I'm goin and I forget the why. My legs are chained, my dreams are fettered and I don't feel alive. I take a sip of crisp and cool and clear blue water. I take a taste and take a deep dive down. I’m standin naked on the hips of fire and fate and wild creatin. I'm not a bit of nothin diggin holes. Innocence and odyssey, they laugh and fly in all directions. Left and right and back and forth and deep dives down. I sing their tales of this and that and swing and sway with celebration and I don’t spend no time Diggin Holes. Cause innocence and messy dreams survived. Colors back and days have come alive. I remember where I’m going and I remember why. My legs unchained, my dreams unfettered and I’m ALIVE.
Let Me Cry
Will you hold me? Just a little while. Let me cry for all those kids not comin home. For all their dreams that ripped away when that madman found his prey and without warning turned their life to dust and bones. Will you hold me just a little while. Let me cry for all those families torn apart. Never knowing why their children had to die. I cry for stolen moments bleeding from their hearts. Stop this madness, I can’t take it anymore, let me cry. Stop this madness I need love, I need love. Will you hold me. Let me cry for all us dreamers in the storms who hope for better when love will know the way to part the clouds and keep us safe from harm. Stop this madness. I can’t take it anymore let me cry. Stop this madness I need love, I need love. I know this worlds a mess but it’s all we have and she needs all we have and we need hope and we need love.
Her Garden
I can see, I can see her garden. Yellow, red and black and white and green. When the sunlights smiling in a forest and when the moonlight bathes a mountain stream. I take another look. I have another look and see Her Garden. I can see. I can see her garden out beyond the smoke the fiery haze. In the silence. In the depth of sorrow there She is a rainbow in the rain. I take another look. I have another look and see Her Garden. I can see, I can see her garden. Red and Yellow, black and white and green. In the silence in the depth of sorrow, I can feel her standing close to me. I take another look, I have another look and see. Her Garden.
One Way Blues
There’s a grasshopper movin up my arm singing his own blues song. There’s a grasshopper movin up my arm, singin his own blues song. He says “I’d like to take a walk but I can only hop around.” He says “I got one way, one way, one way to get to town. I got one way, one way, one way to get to town, I’d like to use my legs but I can only hop around. There’s a black cricket movin up my arm. Laughin at that grasshoppers song. There’s a black cricket movin up my arm just laughin at that grasshoppers song. He says “You ain’t got it bad, I rub my legs all night long.” He says “I got one way, one way, one way to sing a song. I got one, one way, one way to sing a song. “ He says “I’d like to use my mouth but I rub my legs all night long”. I got one way, one way, one way to end this song. I got one way, one way, one way to end this song. I’d like to help you out but go find somebody else’s arms..Yea I’d like to help you out but go find somebody else’s arms
I Found You
I tried to keep from falling, standing all alone. I was bruised and battered and living where I never felt at home. My heart was yearning. Aching to be whole. To find the pieces lost and torn that scattered long ago. I heard you calling. Your voice a shining road that brought me to your open arms. Welcoming me home. I found you, I found you. Thank God for you. I'm finally home. I'm where my heart belongs.
I heard you calling. Your heart, your song. Your voice so tender, your love so strong. I'm where my heart belongs.
All these years you've known me. You are my dearest friend. You see beyond the dark I wear. The goodness that I am. Reaching out you hold me. Tenderly we dance. Our hearts align, apart together. One with you at last. I found you, I found you. Thank God for you.
I'm finally home. I'm where my heart belongs.
What a Funny Life
What a funny life on this crazy world. Everything I thought I knew is floating upside down. Swirling and swaying my feet rarely touching the ground. It’s a crazy life on a crazy world. Seems like any plan I make can laugh and walk away. Changing like shadows just who is defining my fate. I’ve been grousing around for some peace and some mattering. Times flying by and my life keeps unraveling. Is it changing without my design? Am I just catching a ride. I’ve been learning to watch where I step, careful to watch where I step. Learning to watch where I step on this escalator. What a funny life on the crazy world. Maybe I can live inside a castle on cloud, where daffodils, diamonds and mysteries revealed live unbound. Cause inside is outside and outsides unraveling. Deeper inside me my heart keeps on chattering, let go, let go, let go. It’s beyond your design.