Arrival 

 A four-song EP by Lisa Hartt

The concept for this EP began over 40 years ago with my decision to become healthy, heal my mind, body and spirit, and start my recovery journey.

The songs were recorded and produced during the pandemic, which gave me a lot of time to reflect on my 40 years of clean, sober living. I was fortunate to be able to work with Chris Birkett who is a multi-talented, award-winning producer, singer/songwriter, composer and sound engineer. His music collaborations with A-list international artists like Sinead O’Connor, Alison Moyet, Dexys Midnight Runners, Talking Heads, The Pogues, Bob Geldof, Quincy Jones, Mel Brooks and Steve Earle have sold over 100 million records and earned four Canadian Junos, a Grammy, a Polaris Music Prize and three international AMPEX Golden Reel Awards for excellence in the music business.

Chris is no stranger to Canadian music, and is now a proud citizen, having co-produced five award winning albums for the legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie, including her comeback album “Coincidence and Likely Stories” (1992) and the Juno winning “Running for the Drum” (2009).

 In Chris, I found a like-minded friend. We have both been working towards developing conscious awareness in our lives, and he understood what I was trying to say in the songs and how I wanted the soundscape to be.

I recorded my vocals and acoustic guitar at home and then sent the tracks to Chris. He would weave his magic until I was happy with the results.

I wanted to celebrate going into my 40th year of sobriety in song, with gratitude for a spiritual program that I live by every day, and the compassion I have for everyone who is still out there suffering. 

The four songs tell the story of my journey in recovery and, hopefully, convey my own experience, strength, and hope.

 1. “Don’t Tell me How I Feel” – was initially written about my brother’s journey into mental illness. Then I realized that the song was also speaking of our family’s experience with Christopher’s mental illness. Christopher did not make it and suffered for most of all his life, finally succumbing to death in 2015 from causes related to mental illness. The chorus really is the main thrust of the song as he (or me) is pleading that we don’t try to “fix him” but just “hear him.” He was a beautiful man, very loving and intelligent and my best friend when we were young. I believe the song evokes a strong reaction to the plight of human suffering and the many faces of mental illness and addiction. A cry for help is the beginning, but not necessarily the end.

2. “Wasted” – was written when I was still actively drinking and working hard out on the road trying to overcome the need to self sabotage every night. The story is a real time sequence of events and the play on the word “wasted” was to depict the self knowledge that arose in the person who was so obviously out of control. It takes a long time to wake up, while you’re in the depth of addiction; it can seem that nothing is happening, but even a small hint of clarity can begin to alter the course in one’s life. I wanted the guitars to be raw and the voice flat and electronic in a way that was real, depicting the numb feeling of going through the day in an altered state. The bridge is about my family reaching out to help.

    “Cinderella, where you been all night?

     I’ve been to a show mama,

    Telling everyone where to go mama,

    Now I am coming home to you… wasted.”

3. “Sail Away” – is a parable using a sea voyage to explore the depths of a dark night of despair and how the protagonist rides out the storm, (musically, the intricate sounds of the storm and the ballast crashing in the hold is effective at manifesting this rage and despair). The storm subsides, the ocean is once again calm, and she finally reaches out and asks for help before disappearing and surrendering to a “power greater than herself.”

4. “Tell the Truth” – is the reflection of a hero’s journey – the quest, the journey into despair and plunge into the abyss, to finally remerge fresh and clear eyed, with the knowledge of the truth shining as a golden beacon. With the use of lively, joyful sounds – an accordion for example – and an almost reggae beat, one can almost feel the wheels of the wagon rolling on as we listen to the verses. It is a fruitful resolution after many years of trial and error, success and failure, to be truly peaceful in my own skin.