ghost of a girl
An Album by Melissa Israel
ghost of a girl
… conception, gestation and birth…
Completed in 2010, Ghost of a Girl is my first album. It is a selection from songs I have been crafting since my teens and throughout the years that followed. Music theory and instruments were not part of my upbringing but singing was constant. I emulated everything I could hear. I learned to write songs a cappella and would sing until the words and their melodies were part of my fabric. A journal of my journeys. It was thrilling to have a voice that could create melodies from my imagination. Over the years I schooled myself in theory, guitar and production making the process even more rewarding. The positive response from dearest friends and musical colleagues spirited me with encouragement.
This album would not exist without the expert craftsmanship from Jamie Moses who agreed to join my team as a studio guitarist adding dimensions with his instrumental stylings and became a musical mentor. Nor would it exist without the kind yet stern insistence and encouragement for me to create from my dear friend Liz Phair who is the most generous musician I have ever encountered in her unwavering desire for others to succeed and realize their potential. And truly the support and production from Chip Martin as he listened to countless songs and helped bring some of my selected few to life in his studio.
The album itself is influenced by self censorship and my reservations to share thoughts out loud. Fearing retribution from the disapproving shroud of negativity dwelling close inside my ranks and my need to maintain harmony in life. In spite of objections to it’s creation, it does exist and I am proud of my perseverance.
The songs on the album explore various themes and were chosen very selectively from the many I’ve written over the years.
(Ghost of a Girl - the title song) Celebrating the song, the secret songstress, the ageless child within the song, who feels the need to sing in private, fearful of those who wish it silenced.
(Telescope) Curious about concepts, facts, ideas and beliefs
(Linear Life) Fastidiously stuck on a path in life
(Fragile Heart) Remorse from recklessly being the cause of someone’s pain
(Against My Body) A new mother in all it’s wonderment and transformation and love
(Me in a Moment) Realizing, as a new mother, to advocate for my family above all else
(Denim Day) Wanting and willing to sit and take in the day in a lazy way
(You Chose Me) In awe of someone loving me
(Falling Away) Torn away from those I love and trust, time and again
(Schizophrenic) Being too committed to quit
(Gradual Overdose) Living in the loss and guilt after the death of my oldest brother Gregg
