6. NOT PRETTY ENOUGH
Written by Kasey Chambers
Lead Vocal - Aly Cook
Special Guest Vocal - Sharon O’Neill
Guitars - Glen Hannah
Bass Guitar - James Gillard,
Keyboards - Rick Melick,
Drums - Buzz Bidstrup,
Backing Vocals - Aly Cook, Kay Bidstup, Buzz Bidstrup & Therese McKee
We were only going to put 2 cover songs on the CD but the decision to make it 3 was unanimous when we recorded this song for the Asquith Sessions. We all know how hard it is for artists to get their music played on commercial radio, let alone having to live up to some stereotype image of ‘the pretty pop star’. I’ve spoken to a select committee at Parliament in NZ on NZ Music quotas, and I’m particularly supportive of female artists, so the meaning within the song resonated for me just as Kasey Chambers does as an artist . The Chambers family ‘Dead Ringer Band’ in Australia have always reminded me of the Coalrangers in NZ who I’m very close too. It is the rootsy honesty in Kasey’s music that appeals and we wanted to honour that while putting our own stamp on the song. The band had recorded an inspired live rhythm track for the Asquith Sessions and later Sharon and I spent a beautiful afternoon recording the main vocals together and putting some different accents on the song. We like to think we made it our own x