Imogen Clark Choking On Fuel
By Alan Shipston for Country Music News International Magazine
I always love listening to an album and immediately know that I’m going to be taken on a fantastic sonic journey through the mind of the singer songwriter. Such is the case with Choking On Fuel, the latest release from Imogen Clark. It’s as if she invited me to her living room where her musical friends have gathered to perform. The recording is intimate, soulful and introspective.
Produced by Clark and Jeremy Dylan and recorded in Nashville, Los Angeles, Sydney and London, Choking On Fuel proves it’s the art of getting through, as Imogen sings on the second cut. Born in Australia, but now living in Nashville, Imogen brings a lifetime of experience to the studio and leaves with nine works of art.
Clark is no stranger to recording and you can tell she understands the cardinal rule. The vocal is king, or in this case, queen. Each word is clean and clear, no straining to make out what she sang – it’s all there. And delivered with hushed confidence then rocketing to vocal altitudes she handles with ease. As David Prior of ABC Radio noted, “on record, she is simply sublime.”
The first cut, All Hard Feelings, begins the unplugged journey as you’re swept into Imogen’s world of relationship highs and lows with lines like, “I’m going under, singing I’m over it.” Underpinned by acoustic guitar weaving a subhook beneath her vocal creates an interesting momentum that allows Imogen to deliver, “I love that I don’t let go, every paper cuts down to the bone.”
Recording an acoustic album might be one of the hardest things to do. The producer and engineer must capture the soul and nuance of the instrument using the ambience in the room as the natural reflector. The player must evoke the emotion from the instrument without hiding behind crashing drums or distorted guitars. As a guitarist, Clark is demanding the tonal spectrum be captured from delicate to brash.
If I Want In features Ella Hooper on co lead vocals, while Imogen cut her vocals at Abby Road. Jeremy Dylan on acoustic guitar provides the power for this trio to shine. “If I Want In, I gotta get out of this”, is yet another raw lyric that puts her fearless style on full display. Melodic Mag has said, “With each song, she invites listeners into her world, sharing tales of resilience, love and self discovery.”
Her decision to fill the album with appearances by many great artists such as Mickey Raphael, Aussie grassers Midnight Chicken and My Morning Jacket’s Bo Koster was a great choice. Fellow countryman, Tommy Emmanuel plays on the touching ballad, If Your Heart Never Breaks written by Clark and Jim Lauderdale, the tender lyric reminds us that “you’ll never learn from your mistakes, if your heart never breaks.” Lauderdale joins her during the song for a lovely two part blend.
Imogen ends the collection with a cover of If It Makes You Happy, a piano centric rendition performed by Rob Vincent . Then suddenly a full band bursts in take the song out for a final ride, marking the only time drums are used on the album.
With a full tour schedule featuring dates in the US, Imogen will then circle back to Australia for an October leg to promote Choking On Fuel.