Ray and his band were in Berlin this month to record new songs for the
forthcoming album with the working title Chasing Rainbows. "There will
probably be a duet with Ali Ferguson on the new album", confirms Ray.
Ray has written a dozen songs with Peter Hoff (they co-worte a couple of songs already in both, SHE and Unfulfillment) and has now started
recording the backing tracks, based on the demos created with Peter. So
far, no other songs exist. The new songs are far from being finished,
but the material sounds promising based on the first impressions we
could get when visiting Ray in the studio earlier this week.
Some stuff sounds loose and acoustic, other songs are more dramatic. It's too early to tell how the songs will sound after the production is finished. "Initially, I wanted to have this Tom Petty kind of feel", explains Ray, "but there is also this Ryan Adams kind of feel on some of the songs - some even have some grungy guitar sounds". Ray is pleased with the results so far, but further sessions will take place towards the end of the year. New songs include Life Of Someone, Take It Slow, Follow The Lie and Whatever Happened To People You Meet And Never See Again. A few songs may be premiered live during his Stiltskin-shows this fall.
Another new song, Run For Your Life, will not be on the album. "It's a completely different story. The song was written as a hymn for German marathons. I do not know yet when it will come out, but at this point it is unlikely that it will also be on the new album. Initially we had this slower song, but then we thought it was too slow for the purpose of a "running-song", so we doubled its tempo and rocked it up. We will also not release it as a single, it will be available some time in the future in association with German Marathons ", explains Ray.
Besides Ray, his band and the musicians from Berlin band Abby were involved in the recording session. Henne Müller from Abby has been working with Lorenzo and has added a special flavour to the new album. "The guys have a different perspective on music and have some great ideas", explains Ray. Abby are currently signing a deal with Universal for their own project, due for a worldwide release in 2013. Abby have their own website and can also be found on Facebook here.
Photo by Ashley MacMillan