Annie speaks with Dione Taylor. Dione calls her music the “Prairie Blues”, which is a mixture of Roots, Blues, Gospel and Americana. She is influenced by vocalists such as Aretha Franklin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Son House and Sarah Vaughan. She released her first album, Open Your Eyes, in 2004. That album was nominated for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2005.
“Legendary stories and family history travel through us, flow into the waters and down the bloodline,” explains the Regina, Saskatchewan born singer who first made a name for herself as one of this country’s most talented singer/songwriters, “If the water speaks, and if we are still and listen then what fascinating stories do we hear? Perhaps, tales of eternal happiness, brutal hardship, necessary murder, unspeakable love and beautiful pain are buried in the muddy waters.”
Dione’s sharply honed song writing chops shine through on original songs featuring both intellectual depth and emotional eloquence. This diversity of tones and tempos on Spirits in The Water ensures that the listener’s attention never wavers through the album.