Adalita

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If you know anything at all about Australian music, of course, you already know who Adalita is. You know her from Magic Dirt, who for nearly two decades have been one of Australia's most respected and influential bands. 'Adalita' is her first solo record, a collection of ten songs that captures her at her most raw and unaffected. It showcases the breadth of her songwriting talents, from the quiet introspection of songs like Perfection and The Repairer through the more rocking Jewel Thief and Goin Down to the cryptically-titled and evocative instrumental Lassa Hanta. The music isn't so much a radical departure from Magic Dirt as it is a distillation of everything that band represents, with the layers of instrumentation stripped away, leaving only the bare bones of the songs themselves. And those songs are stark and heartfelt. They're startlingly direct at times. They're austere and beautiful and powerful. It was in the middle of 2009 that she decided to bring them into the light. "It was on Dean Turner's advice and encouragement that I give the solo thing a go," Adalita says of the recording. "He really wanted to bring out other aspects of my songwriting. And I agreed with him that I would love to explore these other songs, the ones that couldn't fit into Magic Dirt. So I guess it ends up really being about getting a song across and what is the best way and the best context to do that in." Apart from Turner, several other musicians feature on 'Adalita' - Magic Dirt's Ra l Sanchez plays guitar on Lassa Hanta, while Melbourne singer/songwriter Amaya Laucirica provides backing vocals on Good Girl:". And the input of hyper-talented multi-instrumental polymath JP Shilo (Hungry Ghosts, Rowland S Howard) features throughout: "I think we really click. We can talk about creativity and music in a very deep way, and he seems to intuitively understand where I am coming from. This is really important... to have musicians around you that align with the sub-conscious aspects of the music."