Renee Wahl is a physicist, teacher and former Air Force member. She also happens to be a brilliant singer-songwriter whose forthcoming album Cut to the Bone (due out on March 15) is an unflinching and raw collection of songs celebrating perseverance and the beauty of the human spirit.
Wahl says her background in science goes hand in hand with her music.
"Since music is physics, I see things from another perspective — from songwriting, composition and even how my instruments and equipment works," Wahl said in a press release. "People think of science as very straight and narrow, but Einstein said 'Imagination is more important than knowledge,' and I find that to be so very important, to be creative in science. If you're just following a blueprint, how do you create something new?"
The nine-song album, produced by Stuart Mathis, kicks off with "To the Bone," a brooding rocker that serves as a warning to liars and thieves.
Standout track "Me Before You" is a celebration of selfless love, while "Meds" is a classic country tune about the search for mental health.
"'Meds' took me a while to want to perform live, because it's like, 'Oh my god, I'm telling all these people what medications I've been on, and now they're going to think I'm completely crazy," Wahl says in a press release. "But that's okay. Nobody gets help, nobody gets better unless you're open about it."
The stunning album closer "What You Need" meets in the middle between indie rock and Americana and finds strength as the end of a relationship looms ahead.
"This is the first record I've made that I find myself listening, too. And it's not that I'm listening to me, it's the entire sound of it — the sonics, the playing, the way it makes you feel," Wahl says. "I really like listening to it, which is surprising to me."
Listen to Cut to the Bone below.
Renee Wahl will play an album release show in Nashville, Tenn. at The 5 Spot. For more information on Wahl, visit here.
'Cut to the Bone' Track Listing:
1. "To The Bone"
2. "Cold Day in Memphis"
3. "Me Before You"
4. "Temptation"
5. "From Here To There"
6. "Meds"
7. "Six Days Til Sunday"
8. "In The Field"
9. "What You Need"
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