LAUGHING OUTLAW RECORDS & MANAGEMENT


		WINTER, SUMMER SUBURBAN EXILE Bek-Jean Stewart $24.95 AUD Customers outside Australia don't pay GST You can also buy online from CDBaby

Winter, Summer Suburban Exile, Stewart’s second album, is a collection of songs that prelude the idea of an album as a whole organism. The evolution of Stewart’s songwriting progresses throughout the album as she arrives, at its conclusion, to her strongest authentic voice as a storyteller. Winter, Summer Suburban Exile is a journey exploring freedom versus restraint, raw and unapologetic in its coverage of such complex terrain. With an emphasis on vocal clarity, the music is allowed to serve as a fertile background for the narrative. The album spans from anthemic songs, with St Marys’ Bells and Henson Park Skies, through darker times with No Sunrise, No Sunset and Diving Bell, to the lightly romantic Money Never Spent on Romance and Only One of You.

Recorded at Leisure Suit studios, near Mangrove Mountain, NSW, with long-term collaborators, Grant Shanahan, Matt Galvin and Michael Carpenter who jammed together, laying down tracks in a couple of takes, with an emphasis on understatement ensuring nothing was sonically overworked. Creative direction was driven by Stewart, herself, with engineering and co-production support from Shanahan. The result is an album that is lyrically strong and instinctive in its melody, and at moments -- such as the rise in St Marys’ Bells – humbling.

“…it catches your heart from her opening chords and holds you close as it lifts and rolls you through an extraordinary vocal journey. It’s an angel’s voice that belies the grit and rawness of her lyrics.”
- Fran Kelly, Presenter, ABC Radio National Breakfast

“…she is a force of nature... spellbinding with a voice that is bruised, enchanting and often at odds with the subject matter of her songs. “Lonely Sydney Skyline”, “St Mary’s Bells”, “Henson Park Skies” and “Caravans Are Killers Aren’t They (She Said)” rank with the best.”
- Larry Writer, Freelance Journalist

Bek-Jean Stewart entered the Australian Music scene in the early 90’s as vocalist and songwriter for indie-pop band Eva Trout. Stewart’s solo career was launched with “Junior Years” in 2007. Released in Australia and Europe through Laughing Outlaw, the album was lauded by the critics. “A superb female rejoinder to Ryan Adam’s Heartbreaker.” David Cowling, Americana UK, June 2007. Stewart’s other musical involvements include working with Perry Keyes & Give My Love To Rose, performing drums and vocals on his recordings and live shows.

Stewart uses rich and beautiful melodies to tell stories of loss, love and redemption. The spirited, at times joyous, style of her music often starkly contradicts the depth of content contained in the emotional landscape portrayed by her words. She uses music as a vehicle to communicate her realities and intimate connections with the world around her.