Shelley Short - Wake the Dreamers (FYI011)

01. Wish Someone Would Care (Irma Thomas)
02. In the Garden (Michael Hurley)
03. The Little White Cloud (Johnnie Ray)
04. I Am Free (the Kinks)
05. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (Billie Holiday)
06. Looking Out the Window (Peggy Lee)
07. World So Full of Love (Roger Miller)
08. Dark In My Heart (Lee Hazlewood)
09. The Long Way Home (Tom Waits)
10. Honest I Do (Jimmy Reed)
11. You Make Me (Nick Lowe)

Wake the Dreamers is the new vinyl only release by Portland's Shelley Short, this time backed by some of that city's finest tune-makers. The project itself is the brainchild of it's engineer Adam Selzer, owner of Type Foundry studios. He cherry-picked his dream band...

Chris Funk (Black Prairie, Decembersts), Pedal Steel, Dobro, Baritone Guitar, Banjo Jon Neufeld (Black Pairie, Dolorean, Jackstraw) Acoustic and Electric guitars Cory Gray (Carcrashlander, Norfolk & Western), Piano, Hammond B3 Organ
Nate Query (Black Prairie, Decemberists), upright and Electric Bass
Matt Berger (Laura Veirs, Musee Mechanique), Drums Alia Farah (Alialujah Choir, Weinland), Harmony Vocals

...and left the song choice to Shelley. The fact there was no rehearsal and the whole thing was recorded and mixed in two days belies it's accomplished soulful elegance. It was also an exercise in analogue purity; the songs went straight from tape to record and didn't touch a computer.

Please note, this title will not be released on CD. Be quick to not miss out as there's only 110 copies and the packaging is truly special, with each jacket individually silk screened with sticker spine jackets.