DEANNA KNIGHT ANNOUNCES MAY 24 RELEASE OF NEW ALBUM, EVERY LITTLE SPARK
Deanna Knight has always believed in music’s healing power. Over the course of a career now into its third decade, the Ontario-born vocalist and songwriter has developed a sound she calls “genre-fluid,” encompassing folk, soul, and jazz, with lyrics that empower listeners through messages of hope and spiritual awakening.
Every Little Spark, Knight’s second solo album, is a powerful showcase of her talents, recorded at Toronto’s Union Sound and at Garth Richardson’s studio near Knight’s home on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast. Deanna joined forces with multi-instrumentalist/producer Les Cooper (Jill Barber, The Good Lovelies) rekindling a long-time friendship. An all-star cast was then assembled consisting of keyboardist Simon Kendall (Doug & the Slugs), bassist George Koller (Holy Cole, Shuffle Demons), drummer Davide DiRenzo (JackSoul, Cassandra Wilson) and Grammy/Juno-nominated arranger/multi-instrumentalist Drew Jurecka.
The timing of a Spring release for Every Little Spark is no coincidence as many songs on the album promote an Earth Day-friendly message, including the first focus track “Blessed To Witness,” a celebration of the natural beauty we must all work to preserve.
“I’m so proud of that song,” Knight says. “It is the first one I wrote on ukulele and it came through very quickly and easily in response to what our world was going through in 2020.”
She adds, “As with all my writing, most of the songs were written as vocal melody and lyric, then charted alongside piano or guitar to create a basic arrangement that sounds right to my ear. When 2020 hit, I had five songs that were waiting to be recorded over the years and I decided there must be more songs in me to record another full album.”
Although Every Little Spark is the long-awaited follow-up to Knight’s debut solo album, Shadow Of A Star, she’s been extremely busy in between. Along with being a proud mother and top-rated B&B owner, she’s also been a familiar face on B.C. stages with other musical projects such as her popular Gypsy-swing ensemble, Deanna Knight & the Hot Club Of Mars, her “genre-fluid” trio the Deanna Knight Tree-O, and the Grateful Dead tribute GD/BC, which carries on the spirit of Knight’s early work as co-founder of the popular ‘90s Canadian jam band the Fat Cats.
She describes her journey to this point as one of understanding how to use her voice in the most uplifting way possible, a notion embedded within songs like “Free To Be Me”—which also gave birth to the album’s title—and “My Own Creation,” inspired by her own personal mantra. Other standout tracks are the heart-wrenching “Carry Me Home” and “How Do We Love,” which Knight has always imagined as a James Bond theme song, now fully realized with a lush string arrangement and cinematic vibe. It’s all part of the new musical tapestry she has developed over the past few years.
“I did some serious soul-searching after leaving The Fat Cats. I had a strong sense that I was given a voice that moves people for a reason,” Knight says. “I wrote and journaled and addressed my own healing until positive and empowering songs started to surface. There are plenty of sad, broken-hearted songs in the world. I want to lift, inspire and spread love, so I’ve kept at it until I was able to clearly see the purpose of this gift.”
Deanna Knight’s Every Little Spark is now her gift to all of us—a guide to help nurture the unique spark inside each of us and a powerful call to action for humanity, urging us to rise up with our hearts and focus on healing, kindness, and compassion. An album that reaffirms music’s place at the centre of all good things life has to offer.