Welcome to the Music Thursdays segment! Each week here on Geek Alabama, Music Thursdays will feature music related content. Music Thursdays will feature an artist or band and their latest song and / or music video. People love music, and we here at Geek Alabama love featuring artists and bands!
Award-winning husband-and-wife musicians Stefani Rose and Daniel Martin are Martin and Rose Music, who blend their exceptional vocal and songwriting talents to create music for today’s kids and families. Martin and Rose Music’s sixth album, Dear Heart, will be released on September 23, 2022.
The past two years have been an object lesson in triumph over adversity, and Dear Heart is dedicated to today’s kids, for whom this time represents a significant portion of their lives. This remarkable album sings and plays, from the heart of the present, songs that celebrate loving and responsible relationships, parent to child, child to parent, and child to the entire world. Speaking both to and from the child, its essence is a conversation piece about living in the moment, sharing, forgiving mistakes, celebrating differences, making the best of what life brings, viewing the entire world as community, and much more.
“This album took us in a slightly different direction from our previous kids’ pop records, employing hints of folk and Americana woven into a pop, indie rock, and country sound,” says Daniel Martin. “Each song has its own story but also becomes part of the album’s concept, following the flow of a day in the life of a child. Dear Heart reminds grownups to take our time and let our kids be kids for just a little longer.”
“As parents of four children, we’ve observed the unique quality of each child’s experience and how, as a family, it’s important to make adjustments to serve the needs of each individual,” adds Stefani Rose. “Our hope with this album is that parents and caregivers can use these songs in talking with their children about their feelings: the good, the bad, and even the ugly ones, because those types of open and honest conversations help families to grow stronger and individuals to thrive, ultimately making the world a better place.”
Dear Heart kicks off with “Half Right,” a track with a big Nashville sound and energy that underpins a message of living in a mode of mindfulness and wholehearted commitment. Stefani and Daniel’s eldest son, Niko, is the featured vocalist on “Cars,” a number about the challenge of sharing the things you love and why, even though it’s hard, it’s important.
“Duck Boots,” done up in modified Bo Diddley style, gives Stefani Rose a chance to dig into her country-rock roots with all the rhythmic energy of a bucking bronco at the rodeo, as well as providing a real showcase for guitarist and co-producer Ryan Straw, a consummate professional whose mastery of a variety of guitar styles provides a backbone for the entire record.
Ryan Straw’s setting for the lyrics of “Cool As You,” sung from the perspective of a kid who witnesses another kid being constantly bullied, is absolutely perfect, with the melody and distinctive accompaniment carefully defining the lyrics. Stefani Rose’s bluegrass-style vocals shine in “Bully,” which is all about a kid who often seems to land in trouble, despite being the one who “didn’t start that fight.”
ABOUT MARTIN AND ROSE MUSIC:
From the time Stefani Rose was a child she has found herself onstage. Her love of singing and acting guided her years of training, first at Idyllwild Arts Academy for high school, then on to SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory for her BFA, and finally Yale School of Drama where she received her MFA. While at Yale, she discovered a passion and a talent for teaching and artist development through coaching fellow students and serving as the co-artistic director of the Yale Summer Cabaret. Stefani has continued her off-stage activities by coaching actors, dancers, musicians, songwriters, screenwriters, and even preachers and CEOs on stage presence, confidence, story development, and performance, while also establishing her on-stage career as an award-winning actor and singer/songwriter. In California, from 2010 – 2015, Stefani played a vital role in the country music scene, honored as the 2013 Country Artist of the Year by Southern California country radio station, Go Country 105. Singer Universe named Stefani Best Country Singer, and she won Songwriter Universe’s Best Song Award for her song, “Reaching Out.” Additionally, Stefani was a finalist in the Pepsi Southern Original Competition, as well as the Texaco Country Showdown.
Daniel Martin is an award-winning music producer, songwriter, and musician with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Founder of ReAmp Recording Studios and former co-owner of Hourglass Independent Records, he now runs and operates Authentic Artists, a record label focused on putting artists and music first. A multi-instrumentalist who studied music production at both Fullerton College and UCLA, Daniel’s skill and confidence in the recording studio offers a sense of security and creative reinforcement to the artists who trust him to bring their projects to life. Daniel’s music been published by RipTide Music, Perfect Storm Music Group, and Sony ATV Music Publishing. Recognition for Daniel has poured in from the day he opened his first studio. His work has impressed the likes of Grammy-winning producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (Sam Smith, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas) and Mike Elizondo (Warner Brothers, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Fiona Apple, Pink). In 2014, Daniel was honored by the Los Angeles Music Awards as Producer of the Year and since then has produced for hundreds of world-class artists, including multi-platinum recording artist Fetty Wap, American Idol finalist Jessica Muse, YouTube favorite Bryan Lanning, legendary guitar maker Paul Reed Smith (PRS), and Grammy-winning bassist Victor Wooten (Dave Matthews Band).
Previous Martin and Rose Music albums include Sing About Spring (2022), Summer Vacation (2021), Welcome Winter (2020), A Not So Scary Halloween (2019), Chill Baby – A Sleepytime Christmas Adventure(2018), and Sing With Me – A Kids’ Pop Music Adventure (2018).
Dear Heart will be available on all major streaming platforms and online music stores.
Categories: Music Talk Stuff
