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DON'T BE AFRAID

by Tami Neilson

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    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

      $15 NZD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes lyrics and liner notes in a quality 3 panel gatefold case, lyric booklet with original artwork by renowned NZ artist, Misery. Design by Todd Neilson at Faduchi Group.

    Includes unlimited streaming of DON'T BE AFRAID via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days

      $25 NZD

     

  • Limited Edition Vinyl (Cover Artwork by Delaney Davidson)
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    With cover design by Delaney Davidson, this limited edition vinyl (only 500 pressed) is sure to become a collectable item. 180 gram vinyl with custom label and lyric sleeve insert that includes original artwork by renowned NZ artist, Misery.

    Includes unlimited streaming of DON'T BE AFRAID via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.
DON’T BE AFRAID R. Neilson/ T. Neilson/ J. Neilson Don’t be afraid, for I am with you And I’m gonna see you through another day Do not, don’t you dare be discouraged I’m gonna help you on your way Troubles come, troubles go but don’t you know I told you so I’ll be there protecting you through the burning fire And I will never leave you I will not deceive you I will not forsake you ‘cause you’re my child You belong to me You’re my child, you belong to me Don’t be afraid Don’t you be afraid
2.
Holy Moses 03:10
HOLY MOSES T. Neilson/ J. Neilson Losing my mind from losing your love Raising my eyes to the skies above But I don’t find nothing, don’t feel nothing but alone No time to cry when the babies need feeding Days flying by with nothing new in between them My soul is wearing thin Time stretches on, a fool’s marathon Ever since the day that you done gone Holy Moses! Holy Moses! Oooo-weeee! Have mercy on me! Ain’t no let up, no get up and go Don’t wanna raise my weary head from my pillow ‘cause there’s bad in my luck, the good got stuck somewhere on down the road I can’t be bothered picking up my phone I wish the whole damn world would just leave me alone Stop knocking on my door But nobody can see this burden on me Back breaking, no one else can carry
3.
LONELY R. Neilson/ T. Neilson/ J. Neilson Lonely wears the clothes left in your drawer Lonely won’t let me go to places we went before Lonely makes me walk in the rain With Lonely is where I’ll remain Lonely smells like aftershave and cigarettes Lonely looks like photographs of when we met Lonely stole your side of the bed Please stop him I want you here instead I’m Loneliness, the thing love always leaves A friend to those in need I’ll keep you company Lonely sprinkles dust on your guitar Lonely keeps the tank full in your car Lonely hushed the ring of the phone Lonely won’t leave me alone Lonely, please leave me alone
4.
So Far Away 03:54
SO FAR AWAY D. Davidson Every time I think of you, you get a little smaller Suns getting lower and the shadows getting taller Light gets caught in the tree top branches Released to the fire as the tree becomes ashes Hills glow gold as the rays of the sun go High above the water see the cloud sit solo The whale can dive to the bottom of the ocean Frozen time and frozen motion So far away, so far away When I get there, it’s gonna be a better day So far away, so far away I’ll get there tomorrow if I leave yesterday Say goodbye to the family table Work when you can and sleep when you’re able The price keeps rising and the kids are getting bolder Every time I think of you, you get a little older Little bit softer and round at the shoulder
5.
IF LOVE WERE ENOUGH T. Neilson/ J. Neilson If love were enough to keep you with me And if only God would accept currency I’d buy one more day, a week or a month If only love were enough If love were enough, there would be no end You’d stay to see baby boys grow into men To tie their bowties and straighten their cuffs If only love were enough There is not a day that I haven’t loved you It’s a habit I never will break But the greedy old hands on the clock they won’t stop To give back just one yesterday But if love were enough we’d dance one more dance We’d sing one more song We’d have one more chance To love and to laugh, to talk and to touch If only love were enough If only love were enough
6.
Bury My Body 03:17
BURY MY BODY T. Neilson You can bury my body you can bury my body you can bury my body deep down in the ground But the dust and the bone won’t make a sound You can bury my body I won’t grow weary no more Ain’t afraid of death knockin’ on my door Sweet salvation in the by and by No more worries, gonna leave them behind The devil done missed his chance to steal my soul He crooked his crooked finger and I said Hell, no! Took the hand of Jesus, pulled me outta the grave Death was cheated and my soul was saved You can bury my body you can bury my body you can bury my body deep down in the ground But the dust and the bone won’t make a sound You can bury my body ‘Cause I’ll be up in glory I’ll be shoutin’ the story That they buried my body deep down in the ground But the weight of this world couldn’t hold me down But you can bury my body
7.
Loco Mama 02:11
LOCO MAMA T.Neilson I’m jittery jumpin like a scratchless itch Like a tail on a tomcat beginning to twitch I need some sweet silence filling up my head I need to spend some more time tangled up in my bed I’m burning up both ends of my wick Start running while the bomb still ticks You better hurry up and get out quick When the Mama go loco When the Mama go loco You better get out, better go go Tick tick tick tick tick POW! The Mama gone loco My pulse is poppin’ with a fevered heat I got the black cat voodoo with a jungle beat Body shaking and my hair gone wild I wanna throw down on the floor like a screamin’ child Seeing red and it don’t mean stop This firecracker ‘bout to pop You better bail before I blow my top
8.
Heavy Heart 03:44
HEAVY HEART T. Neilson Heavy heart, my arms are tired From holding you for miles and miles Across the sea, a cross to bear It ain’t fair, heavy heart Heavy heart, you weigh me down You keep my feet from gaining ground You took on pain, a stowaway You’re to blame, heavy heart Please stop aching Please stop breaking Heavy heart, my eyes are dry Of all the tears spent trying to buy A bit more time to heal these wounds Make it soon, heavy heart
9.
Only Tears 03:34
ONLY TEARS D. Davidson/ T Neilson Only tears Is that all I can do Seems like such a shame That’s all I have for you Only tears No need for such a show Only tears Lonely tears Only tears Why did you have to go There’s no one left to blame And no one left who knows Only these tears No need to let them show Only tears Lonely tears Take a grain of salt or two Add a little water you got tears Only tears Lonely tears Only tears Only tears They don’t feel like enough To give for all the pain To trade for all the love Only tears Are all I have to show Only tears Lonely tears
10.
LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH by T.Neilson I’m teasing up my hair and painting my lips Ruby Woo Spraying on my Aqua Net and the last of that perfume you gave to me so long ago but if I’m blue, you’ll never know I’m gonna dance dance dance the night away I’m your good time gal Honey all you gotta do is say And when we wave wave wave our last goodbye I’m gonna laugh laugh laugh until I cry When the bar is out of whiskey and the band is out of songs When the last car pulls away and everybody else is gone I’ll raise my glass, for what it’s worth Heres to smile smile smiling til it hurts
11.
THE FIRST MAN T. Neilson/ J. Neilson The first man that I ever loved was The first man to ever hold me in his arms The first time that I cried my very first tear He was here The first kiss that I ever gave was to The first man the one who always kept me safe From the monsters living under my bed Or in my head All the rest gotta live up to the best of the first man Win or lose we’re trying to fill the shoes of the first man The first man The first man, even with his flaws was still The best man, not despite them but because It made him the good man that he was Yes he was The last time that he said my name was The last time my heart would ever be the same The one man I’ll be loving From the first day to the last day of my life

about

The coin stands balanced on its edge, Heads or Tails, the common question to try your luck, has somehow been augmented to become a question between tipping into despair or flying triumphantly out over the chasm. Tami Neilson, poised here in that moment, delivers the full promise of jeopardy. Swinging this pendulum route, she is pulled downward by the weight of loss and mourning, then hits up into the face of grief with some of the most defiant fierceness we have heard from her. Reaching out to grasp some of her best song writing to date, she gives some of her most fully realized performances. As she goes from strength to strength we are left with the treasures she has collected along the way and some of the most powerful musical influences in her life. Songs from the masterful pen of her father, the irreplaceable Ron Neilson, her continued work with her brother Jay Neilson as well as fellow conspirator Delaney Davidson, all fit seamlessly here as a testament to the passing of a milestone in her life.

Don’t Be Afraid- is the last song Ron Neilson wrote, in a career of over 60 years of music lived with a belief and faith that most musicians only dream of. Finished by Tami and Jay this powerful overture to love beyond the bonds of this physical realm naturally takes place as title track to the album.

Lonely- begun while Ron was 20 years old on tour and finished by Tami, plays the game of personified emotion singing to us while haunting the space left behind by a vacant partner. Originally demo recorded outside the hotel while on tour in Kelowna BC.

Heavy Heart- After the tears stop and before they start the heart carries the heavy suitcases that go backwards and forwards between the goodbyes and out the plane window love hangs dark between the night stars.

If Love Were Enough- Time rolls on without us, and even the ever- victorious love
sometimes bows its head in acceptance of the roads it is asked to take.
The grand children live on to distant dreams of the man who once watched and held them.

Holy Moses- Reaching full throttle, the trance like roll lies full length under the ragged cry of disbelief that cuts out over the mayhem. An everyday prayer to the
deliverer of the people.

Bury My Body- The last song Ron ever heard and was his favourite out of the song list for the album. Carried by the voice his enthusiasm at the autonomous power of the vocal, unabashed and strong leading firmly into the spiritual territory.

Only Tears- In this co-write with Davidson we hear the wash of south sea, see the hands waving into the sunset and feel the sun kissed goodbye as the canoe pushes out from shore.

Loco Mama- “Parenthood brings you from the brink of madness to the deepest joy at dizzying speed”. The old saying from Greenhithe rings true. Monkeys run wild in the undergrowth. A Hollywood Latino Classic.

So Far Away- The repetition of departure and arrival plays out at lightning speed into an animation of accelerated aging. The adventurer who follows their heart into the world pays the ultimate price of losing the place at the family table, not through choice but by default.

Laugh, Laugh, Laugh- Under the swagger and bravado we feel the hidden heartbreak and if we look closely see that tears run through the stage make up. The classic grieving technique reveal in this vaudeville banger.

The First Man- A life deftly told in four verses, starting at the first moments into the world and finishing with the last words. In this beautifully tender portrayal of a daughter and her father, measuring stick and mentor, Tami demonstrates her songwriting craft.

credits

released September 25, 2015

Produced by Ben Edwards and Delaney Davidson
Engineered by Ben Edwards
Mastered by Ben Delany

Guitars, Stings: Dave Khan
Guitars: Delaney Davidson
Bass: Ben Woolley
Drums/Percussion: Joe McCallum

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Tami Neilson New Zealand

"Tami Neilson is a fire-breathing belter on her own terms." -ROLLING STONE

"A great, big canyon of a voice."
-DOWNBEAT

“Tami Neilson is a full tilt badass monster of music”
–SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC

"A red-hot honky-tonker, somewhere between Patsy Cline and Wanda Jackson with perhaps just a little bit of Peggy Lee sophistication.”- Nick Bollinger, RNZ
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