2017 Academy of Western Artists' Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year Cheryl Deserée isn't your cookie cutter female singer-songwriter. The sultry, cigar smoking, pink haired songstress may embody a calendar girl but this pinup's heart belongs to fiddle & steel, horns & the gentle sway of the palm trees. The California native and now Nashville resident recently released her latest album, Dreamy, a melodic thirteen track collection that is filled with wit, grit, & honesty. Here, Cheryl graciously answers her Essential 8 where she talks about the album, her dream collabs, and more.
Is there a story behind your album’s title? “Dreamy”, of course, is for the two versions we recorded of the song, but also because the word really encompasses what we captured on this project. My first record was decidedly darker so I wanted this sophomore effort to be romantic, playful, fun, and lush, with just a touch of classic melancholy. While each song’s style differs quite a bit from the one before it, I feel like we really built a cohesive, ethereal romance, or “dreamy” feel overall. Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did? In this case, the egg came before the chicken. I had a vibe and sound in my heart and I wrote with the intention of coloring that soundscape. I felt a great sense of urgency to say something on the first record. Those stories needed to get out right then. While I’m very proud of the lyrical content on “Dreamy”, the melodies were paramount for me this go around. If I play any small part in this great music I adore, it is to help show that Western Swing can be fresh and original without losing the best and strongest of it’s roots. Please choose one song and tell the story behind it. “Half White Trash, Half Black Sheep” is one of those songs whose lyrics came rushing out of me in about 15 minutes. It was one of those magical, stream-of-consciousness moments that I feel kind of funny claiming as being my own writing. Some songs feel like they are gifted directly to you by the universe. This story deals with some childhood abuse I suffered, and while I knew it had to be included on this album, I wanted to give it an upbeat spin. Sometimes, if I’m too close to the story of a song, I struggle to find it’s melodic voice. I enlisted fellow Piscean and Californian, David Norris, who immediately heard what I was hearing and we quickly settled into this assertive gypsy jazz groove. We work well together and also wrote the title track. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? Once, when I was whining about being a musical misfit, my friend and monster musician, Aaron Till, said to me, “Nashville needs you more than it knows”. It reminded me to focus on the strength we each have when we fully own our individuality. Like our queen, Dolly Parton, says “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? Inspiration can come from anywhere. I’ve only been writing songs for about 5 years, so I have much to learn. I’m trying to be better at slowing down and looking around. What are the details around me? What is life trying to teach me in this moment? What is the muse trying to show me? My husband and I were on an airport shuttle bus this summer and something struck me about the happy driver, whose odd name was on a placard above his amusingly bouncy bus seat. Later that night, I wrote a playful little blues tune called “Mr. FoSho”, that may appear on the next record. What’s your dream venue and why? The Grand Ole Opry at The Ryman is still at the top of my bucket list. I’d also love to hit the road and play all the great Texas dance halls- Gruene Hall, The Broken Spoke, Little Red’s Longhorn Saloon, etc. Who would you love to collaborate with? Gosh, after the amazing cast and guests I wrangled for “Dreamy”? I hate to ask the heavens for more… but I’m gonna- I’d love to make a record featuring my favorite steel guitar players on different tracks- Mike Sweeney, Eddie Lange, Steve Hinson, Johnny Cox, Robbie Turner, Tommy Hannum, Carco Clavé, Lloyd Green, Chris Scruggs, etc. I think I’d call it “Smoke & Steel”. I’m also itching to collaborate with Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr. on a small group, original jazz record. I’m just gonna put that into the universe now. Call me, fellas! If you weren’t a musician/songwriter where would we find you? I’d be smoking my favorite stick in a cigar shop for a pinup photo shoot for my hot mom street gang, and texting my husband about errands and fielding calls from my kids about homework in between takes. In short, I’d be exactly what I still am today- a wife, homemaker, mother, cigar slinger, pinup, and mob boss of “The Milfia”, but I’d be half as exhausted. Website/Facebook/Twitter/IG
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