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Fresh from supporting Ani DiFranco’s recent UK tour multi instrumentalist Gail Ann Dorsey releases her first solo album in over a decade.

I Used To Be... by Gail Ann Dorsey

Gail Ann Dorsey, the striking Philadelphia born singer/songwriter/musician & long-time bassist with David Bowie’s touring band, releases her first solo album in over a decade, I Used To Be..., on Sad Bunny records.

An eclectic collection of previously unreleased original songs written by Dorsey throughout her career, the CD is co-produced by Gail and Brandon Mason; executive producer is her longtime friend and fellow bassist Sara Lee. Dorsey herself sings and is a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing bass guitar, bass synthesizer, and guitar.

Gail Ann Dorsey has built up a reputation as one of the music industry’s most powerful singers, instrumentalists, and performers. She first came to the UK in 1983 - where she then settled until 1994 - and following a stint as guest vocalist with the first incarnation of (Rolling Stone) Charlie Watt’s Big Band she was invited to perform solo on Channel 4’s legendary music show, the Jools Holland (with Paula Yates) hosted The Tube. Accompanying herself on the programme on bass guitar, Dorsey performed a show-stopping rendition of Bobby Womack’s Stop On By which led to a bidding war amongst the major labels and she soon signed to WEA.

The Corporate World

Her first album, the appropriately named The Corporate World, was a critical success in the UK, for instance receiving a 5-Star review in Q magazine - who also voted it one of the Top 50 Albums of that Year – and spawned top ten singles in Europe. However, Gail Ann was not happy on the label and subsequently Chris Blackwell signed her to his Island Records label, who released her second well-received album, Rude Blue, in 1992. When her relationship with Island also proved problematic, Dorsey removed herself from the spotlight and returned to session work.

Since then she has toured the world and recorded with a hugely diverse collection of artists including: Dar Williams, Tears For Fears, The Indigo Girls, Jane Siberry, Khaled, Rachid Taha, The B-52’s, The The, Gang Of Four, Skin, Joan Baez and - for the past decade - with David Bowie. Health problems led to the summer UK leg of the latter’s world tour being cancelled - although the legendary performer recently enjoyed his first evening out since surgery when he was in the audience as Dorsey played a solo show at New York venue Joe’s Pub in mid-October.

I Used To Be... showcases the breadth of Dorsey’s compositions, which over the years have ranged from rock to funk, from country to pop in it’s purest sense; there is also the undeniable connection with her hometown sound of Philadelphia soul.
They lead the listener through a rich musical terrain of fanciful imagination, human dilemma and self-discovery. Gail Ann wrote all the tracks - two in collaboration with Tears For Fears’ Roland Orzabal and one with singer-songwriter Kristen Hall.

Independent

“I love these songs and had a great time recording them with my friends. Sara Lee and I had a good idea of what we wanted the CD to be and I think we accomplished it! In the process, it also turned out to be a record to be proud of, much for the spirit in which it came together.” It is also her first independent release; Gail has expressed no desire to return to a major label.

In addition to her two UK shows with Buffalo’s righteous babe Ani DiFranco earlier this year, Gail Ann is expected to return to the UK for a solo London gig before the new year. Dorsey often cites a deep passion for the rich arrangements of Burt Bacharach, and for a long time a frequent feature of her live sets is her rendition - which in the US is fast becoming an underground classic - of his theme tune to the movie Alfie. Good news for fans of this talented one-woman band is that Gail Ann plans to begin work on a new album – set to be another ‘indie’ release - early on in 2005.

Follow this link for more information about the new album from Gail Ann Dorsey – complete with lyrics, photo galleries and a detailed album diary.

I Used To Be... is out now, on CD only, from Sad Bunny records.

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