Shirley Eikhard is ready for whatever comes next on her new single Anything Is Possible — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Laced with melodic synth and finger snaps, the tale of moving on, growing up, and calling on the human spirit to survive in the face of devastation is the leadoff release from her the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame member’s newest album On My Way To You.
For the latest chapter in her decorated 40-year career, the Grammy-winning artist and composer of Something To Talk About — one of more than 500 songs in her arsenal — experiments with sound and lets the music take the lead, with her robust signature vocals following in turn. A veteran musician, Eikhard boasts aptness on guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, chromatic harmonica, sax, dobro, banjo and mandolin. If the music calls for a new instrument, Eikhard challenges herself to learn it, perform it and produce it in her own home studio. “I love a challenge,” she says.
On My Way To You leads you on a musical journey through a rich, diverse soundscape. After reminding you Anything Is Possible on the opening track, Eikhard is unafraid to become vulnerable on songs like Good News, addressing the grittier hardship of life and the desperate wish to change the narrative. Monsters In The Dark is a poppy-jazz number, juxtaposed with dark lyrics, highlighting Eikhard’s unique capability of voicing struggle with a catchy hook. On My Way To You offers a catalog of consummate songwriting at its finest, reminding you once again why Eikhard is at the top of her class.
Originally from Sackville, N.B., she earned Junos in 1973 and 1974 for Best Country Female Artist, and charted numerous hits like You’re My Weakness and Smilin’ Wine. Her songs have been recorded by Cher, Anne Murray, Chet Atkins, Ginette Reno, Alannah Myles and Rita Coolidge. Eikhard is coming off her induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame for the blues-rock hit Something to Talk About. After penning the song in Nashville in the 1980s, she forgot about it until she got a phone message from singer-guitarist Bonnie Raitt, playing the song Eikhard had sent seven years earlier. “I got home and there was this thing on my machine. There was Bonnie … I was numb,” recalled Eikhard.
The rest is music history. The single from Raitt’s Luck of the Draw album topped charts throughout the U.S. and Canada, earned Raitt multiple Grammy Awards and notched up multi-platinum sales. At home in Canada, the song also earned Eikhard a Juno nomination for Songwriter of the Year, along with SOCAN Classics and BMI Awards for its status as a radio favourite.
Check out Anything Is Possible above, hear On My Way To You below and catch up with Shirley Eikhard at her website.
