Dan Reed (of Dan Reed Network) is poised to release his fifth solo album, entitled ‘Liftoff’. Released on Zero One Entertainment’s label and distributed through Townsend Records, the album will ship and be available on all streaming and download platforms from 4th December, 2020.
“In these challenging times,” Reed explains, “I am happy to try to bring some musical solace with the release of my new solo album entitled ‘Liftoff’. Over the next month, I will be releasing 4 lyric videos I’ve created. You can pre-order the album now, and it will ship on December 4th.”
The first lyric video is for ‘Liftoff’s’ title track and launches with the album. It takes you off on a stunning, chilled-out voyage to the stars and beyond. Lose yourself in cosmic, colourful, futuristic visuals of stars, galaxies and nebulae and starships, not to mention more mystical imagery. The melody is gentle; the lyrics, laser-sharp and insightful; and Dan’s vocals are so smooth that sensors read them as totally friction-free.
“Composing ‘Liftoff’ has been good therapy for myself while struggling to stay positive during so much darkness and division gripping this world,” Dan muses, “I hope this collection of songs will be of some joy or provide respite for those of you interested in diving into it. I‘ve always been a lover of ‘albums’ and this time around have given much heart in trying to create an hour-long musical experience, musically and thematically. I even delved back in to playing some lead guitar on a few tracks, after being inspired while supporting Jeff Beck last year in the US: an artist who was a tremendous inspiration for me back in high school.
“With these compositions, my primary focus was asking myself the question of ‘Where do we find comfort and hope when darkness seems to be overrunning the human landscape? What do we do with the anger, fear and often rage that comes with the ever-growing divide that is gripping our societies and our own inner heart?’ I’m quite sure these songs don’t answer those questions, but they do try to be a warm bed on which to rest the weary soul.”
The majority of ‘Liftoff’ was recorded in Dan’s Zero One Studios in Prague, with Reed performing vocals, guitars, keys, bass, and programming drums and percussion — aside from contributions from his collaborators — giving this album a strong futuristic vibe while still firmly rooted in rock, with a focus on lyrics and melody that have always been a hallmark of Dan Reed’s solo work.
Dan adds, “I am honored to have three co-writes on this 11-track album: with Richard Hilton (master keyboardist from Chic, whom we worked with on ‘Slam’ all those years ago); bassist and brother Bengt Jonasson; guitarist James Bird (from Mason Hill); and we had the pleasure of UK ultra-vocalists Emily Lynn and Lara Smiles perform some amazing vocals on a couple of tracks! The album is mastered by the talented Ian Kelosky, and artwork designed by the always amazing Graeme Bell, who adapted a photo from our good friend Swedish photographer Anders Gustafsson!
In a time when far too many are physically locked down and grounded, this cohesive, 11-track album aims to let the heart and soul fly free. Check out Dan Reed’s website for further details and to pre-order your very own album, and board for ‘Liftoff’.
TRACKLIST
Liftoff
Spaceship Built for Two
Landslide
Back to Earth
Hang Back
Docking Sequence
Shed My Skin
Butterfly
Deeper Than Our Fear
Man of War
Heaven’s in Flames
