Articles and Reviews
CD review – ‘Woman’s
Today’ – October 2000, by Tina Hartung
“Nina Lane’s contemporary acoustic guitar music
tickles your soul with a feather. It
makes your toes tingle like warm water running down your back. In the landscape of her music portraying New
Zealand’s clear waters, native forests and blue skies her voice flows like
moonlight between Matai trees: warm, soft and full of mysteries.
There is something about singers: in a sense they
reveal their whole personality and being through the depth and shadows and
tones of their voice. Nina Lanes
nurtures us with her voice and reminds us of the beauty around us and inside
ourselves that can be easily forgotten in our hectic lives.
Nina Lane feels that her voice is a precious gift,
so she looks after it the best she can.
“Singing affects the whole body”, she explains. “If I hold any tension in my body, I can
feel it in my singing.” Nina enjoys the
earth-centeredness and support of the Tui Community on the other side of the
Takaka hill, where she feeds her body with a healthy diet and her soul with
yoga every day. “I like the presence of
the earth”, says Nina simply.
Having performed all over the world and throughout
New Zealand Nina knows about the demands of a life that has to fit in with
gigs. “Teaching voice lessons, writing
songs for my next CD, maintaining meaningful and deep relationships in between
gigs – this is all real time-management stuff.
As a performer I want to have more energy than my audience and I achieve
this by living healthy and feeling centered.”
When Nina met the American instrumentalist Bryan
Owens who came to New Zealand to meet local musicians the duo was born. “Bryan had a way of playing his guitar that
I instantly wanted to adopt, “ says Nina.
Soon the working relationship developed into a personal on and the
couple got married just last month.
Nina’s lyrics portray images of New Zealand native
forest, wildlife, and seascape. “It’s
important to speak for that which doesn’t have a voice”, feels Nina. Other originals speak of life’s limitless
possibilities and the importance of daring to fulfill one’s dreams. No doubt, Nina has something to say to all
of us. And she does it beautifully.”
CD
review : ‘New Zealand Musician Magazine’ Vol. 8, No. 3, June/July 1999, by Mike
Moroney
This is a very special voice. To say it’s deep doesn’t do it justice. Nina Lane has the most seductive,
right-in-your-ear contralto I’ve ever heard!
This collection of 11 original and quite personal songs of love and
ecology sets her apart as a talented songwriter too. Songs this direct usually make me cringe but something about the
voice, the arrangements and the intimate delivery lulls me into a sense of
comfort. James Wilkinson’s signature
fretless bass and Bryan Owens’ mandola are the perfect foil for Lane’s fine
guitar playing. The uncompromising New
Zealand imagery in Lane’s Lyrics are a welcome change from the generic
eco-protest songs of previous years – one gets the feeling that these songs are
of personal, not political investment.
There are no anthems here. It’s
not everybody that could sing “Hey Earth I love you” and get away with it! This is one fine album.
Performance review : ‘Herald Entertainment’
Hauraki Herald, February 2000, by Bronwen Chapple
Nina Lane, singer, songwriter, who grew up in
Tapu, returned with her partner, American musician Bryan Owens, to give the
patrons of Sealey Café an exciting and diverse evening of music.
The concert was a variety of live versions of some
of Nina’s original songs from her self-titled album, released in April 1999,
and included the love song “Moon that fell open” , the Lewis Pass-inspired
“Beech trees”, and “Tui song”. All Nina’s work reflects her sensitivity and
love of the natural environment without becoming saccharine. Bryan was an imaginative accompanist, either
on guitar, octave mandolin, or backing vocals.
Covers included a Jimi Hendrix number, “Up from
the Skies”, JJ Cale’s “Old Man” and Sarah McLachlan’s “Ice cream”. One of the highlights for me was “Dare you”
(walk in the tracks of your dreams).
Nina’s vocals and guitar complimented by Bryan on
the darbuka, a Turkish drum; a wonderful combination.
We were also treated to some ethnic instrumentals
from countries as Russia, Ireland and Romania. Altogether this was an interesting evening that captured the
imagination, a rich feast for the ears.
Newspaper Article : ‘Music traveler makes a stop
in Annapolis’ Capital Entertainment, Friday, October 15, 1999 by Kevin Clapp
With little more that the guitar strapped to his
back, Bryan Owens embarked on the kind of journey most of us only dream
of. He went to Europe as a traveling
musician with no plan other than to absorb as much music as possible.
Unsatisfied with what he found there, the 1989 Old
Mill High School graduate hopped over to Ireland, followed by a year later by a
trek to New Zealand with a fiddler friend.
More than a year and a half later, Mr. Owens is
back in Annapolis, sipping tea at a table in 49 West Coffeehouse on the eve of
a three-show stint here.
“I grew up playing in rock bands, and was in a
completely different music scene when I left this country”, he said.
Back in Annapolis with Nina Lane, a New Zealand
singer he met as his first tourist visa was running out, Mr. Owens said his
time abroad has been invigorating, making him a devotee of world beats and
styles.
Only back in the United States since June, the duo
will return to New Zealand for that country’s summer season in November. Their short time here has been spent traveling
the East coast from Maine to Maryland on a reconnaissance mission of sorts to
find out if their particular brand of music would play in America.
So far, the verdict is yes.
“It’s quite a small scene in New Zealand. It’s a small place,” Mr. Owens said of the
island, population 3 ½ million, on the other side of the globe. “America is such a massive country, with
great opportunities for whatever you want to do.”
Ms. Lane, a 12 year veteran of the New Zealand
music scene, said playing smaller venues like 49 West or Café Gurus has been
humbling since she’s accustomed to playing the largest festivals in her native
land.
Still, making the rounds in America has been a
great experience, she said, particularly meeting musicians and sharing
ideas. It is the same approach Mr.
Owens used abroad to soak up the musical culture, trading a song or two for
food or shelter.
“It’s a great way of meeting people, and the music
is amazing because it really opens people up,” he said. “Having a guitar, you stick out from the
average tourist.”
The duo is touring with Ms. Lane’s debut CD,
filled with song from before they met.
However, a collaboration is already in the works, the seeds of which
were likely planted the first night they met.
“We didn’t know each other and just like that we
wrote a song,” she said. “We stayed up
all night.”
Their music, both said, defies simple
description. Grudgingly, they said it
could be called folk. But then again,
not really.
“It’s not hard core. It’s easy listening. It reaches a lot of age groups,” Ms. Lane
said.
“It’s not folk music as such. It’s more acoustic music,” Mr. Owens
said. “The first thing you’d notice is
her voice is quite deep. It’s been
likened to a cello.”
As for his travels, which have brought him full
circle, Mr. Owens said eh never would have imagined traveling as far as he
has. Looking ahead, he and Ms. Lane are
excited about coming back to America perhaps as soon as next year, to bring
their music to a wider audience.
“When I left I was into rock ‘n’ roll, and I still
am,” he said. “But when traveling with
an acoustic guitar and that’s the only thing you have to make music, I started
to get an appreciation for making music.”
