Incredible – album story
Authentic instruments combined with beats; that was the starting point for Ilse DeLange’s new album. The determined singer travelled to the UK, Sweden and the USA to write and record new songs. The result is ‘Incredible’: a distinctive record with many up-tempo tracks.
“With my previous albums I could always draw on the experience of famous producers, who were partly responsible for the final sound. This time I was the one in charge, I’m proud to say. Many talented people have contributed to this album, but I was the one in control of the entire process. I consider that to be a wonderful personal growth that is an indication of where I’m at now.”
After the release of the very successful ‘The Great Escape’ in 2006, Ilse soon started to think about her next album. She began to write songs and took a few trips abroad to test her ideas by those of other people. She first got in touch with English songwriter Steve Robson, with whom she co-wrote the ballad ‘Nothing Left To Break’. “Of course, I often write songs by myself on guitar,” says Ilse. “But I prefer to take time out to focus on writing a lot of new songs at once, and I really like writing with other people.”
This time, Ilse wanted to combine authentic Americana and Roots instruments with programmed beats. She also wanted to write more up-tempo tracks in addition to a number of typical Ilse DeLange ballads. She decided to go to Sweden, where she worked with Robin Lynch and Niklas Olovson, a.k.a. production duo Macho Psycho, and American singer/songwriter Nate Campany. “The name Macho Psycho had a fascinating ring to it”, Ilse recalls. “Writing a great up-tempo song is not easy, and I learned that it is much easier when you start with a groove, in this case a programmed beat. That’s what Swedish producers can do extremely well; it’s a special gift.”
She is particularly surprised that ‘Incredible’ has become an album with so many positive and upbeat songs, whereas she previously had a tendency to be rather melancholic. According to Ilse this is the result of her growing confidence.
“I feel comfortable in my skin,” she says. “So many great things have happened since ‘The Great Escape’. It’s very likely that these things have had an impact on this process. When I look back on the time preceding ‘The Great Escape’: a change of record labels, working with new people. Things just happened. I used to feel hesitant about working with new people, I held on to what I already knew. But I’ve learned to let go.”
Despite the positive vibe of the twelve songs on ‘Incredible’, song titles like ‘Broken Girl’ seem to point in the opposite direction. “When you really take the time to listen it, you’ll notice it very much is a positive song,” says Ilse. “It’s about overcoming insecurities and the fact that I have someone at my side that reassures me. Every artist, including me, is insecure in a certain way. That’s what this song is about.”
Ilse is extremely proud of her new album. “I really think it’s my best album so far. It has a specific sound compared to my previous albums,” she emphasises. “My other albums were always influenced by a mixture of genres, such as country, rock and even jazz, whereas the new album has an clear-cut sound that is both powerful and explicit.” During the final recording in Los Angeles, Ilse insisted that the freshness of the previously recorded demos was kept intact. The original vocals turned out to be of such a high quality that no changes needed to be made. “It was great to see how those wonderful American musicians went on to record their parts. All the preparations had been going so well that I was able to fully focus on the overall project when I was in Los Angeles. I have a great set of ears and I know exactly what I want.”
Ilse DeLange - History
Ilse DeLange has never settled for second best. She recorded her debut album World Of Hurt (1998) in Nashville, an unusual step for a Dutch artist. She worked with the most celebrated musicians in the city, and asked Barry Beckett, a veritable legend who worked with the likes of Dylan, Dire Straits and Paul Simon, to produce her album. Consequently World Of Hurt has sold more than 500.000 copies in the Netherlands alone, making it one of the best selling albums ever. Follow-up album Livin On Love (2000) also turned into an international affair. Ilse travelled to recording studios in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands, and chalked up yet another platinum album. Clean Up (2003) was recorded in the legendary Capitol B studio in Hollywood. Ilse co-wrote the songs with producers Bruce Gaitsch and Blue Miller, and once again the album became a smash hit in the Netherlands. For The Great Escape (2006), she was determined to work with her favourite producer Patrick Leonard, who has worked with great artists like Roger Waters, Rod Stewart and Madonna. Ilse met Leonard in early 2004 and travelled back and forth to the States to write songs with him and her previous producer Bruce Gaitsch. With this many songs to choose from, The Great Escape ended up being an album of many different flavours. Incredible (2008) is Ilse’s fifth studio album. Ilse also released a Best Of album, a live-album of John Hiatt covers and a live recording of her performance at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam.
