Listen to Bob talk about his most personal album "Bridge to An Open Heart"
The Making of... "Bridge To An Open Heart"
You can't sugarcoat or embellish what you really feel. At least once in your lifetime you have to put everything on the line. "Bridge to An Open Heart" is exactly what the title says it is, the bridge I had to cross to my own open heart. Created during a time in my life where I could no longer hide who I was or what I felt, this album surprised me with its stark revelations of my need for true love in my life.
"Bridge to An Open Heart" is both personal and universal. Can you honestly say that you haven't felt the joys and pain of love's journey? In the deepest part of yourself have you not craved the real intimacy of true love? That need we as humans have to feel connected to ourselves as well as to another.
This album is unique and not like anything else I have composed. The way it came about, the way it was performed and produced was an immediate reaction to my day to day experiences. This is a raw, no-holds barred bearing of my soul. It took place during a time I found myself a single man going through the process of understanding what true love meant to me.
Each song actually began as prose. As I encountered the emotional flavors of a given interpersonal situation I was able to distill what seemed to be a confusing barrage of feelings into words which had a cathartic effect on me. As I gained clarity from reading back the prose I began to hear music and ultimately made the connection between my instrumental music, the words and my own vocal abilities.
An essential part of my journey was learning how to embrace the "natural man" inside me which would allow me to recognize the "natural woman" I was always seeking when she finally appeared in my life.
The Lyrics of "Bridge to An Open Heart"
Of Technical Interest...
"Bridge to An Open Heart" is composed, performed and produced by Bob Baran and is in an adult urban contemporary/pop musical style.
All songs were recorded at 44.1khz 24 bit with the exception of "Immersion" which was recorded at 44.1khz 16 bit. All songs were mixed from a Pro-Tools tdm system to an Ampex ATR 102 analogue recorder.
Selmer Mark 6 alto and soprano saxophones and Keilworth SX90 tenor sax were used along with Kurzweil digitally sampled sounds in the production of this album. All vocals are me. (Bob Baran)
If you have any other questions about the making of "Bridge to An Open Heart" please feel free to email me at: bobbaran@gatheringwave.com.