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Simple yet profound

Benson Chao

Merril Bainbridge's simple melodies with profound lyrics follow a recently-established trend.

Since Sheryl Crow, Alains Morissette and Tori Amos popularised down-to-earth music, new opportunities are waiting for guitar-playing, singer/songwriters.

'I guess that a lot of my writing is about emotions - people's feelings and their reaction. I find it interesting that everyone reacts very differently to different emotional states,' said the Australian who lives in Melbourne.

At the Hard Rock Cafe recently, her melodies and profound observations about relationships won over local audiences.

Her most notable single, Mouth, undoubtedly deserves some serious attention.

'It's not just a song about kissing. It's about relationships in the '90s. If you listen through the lyrics you'll see there's a back-and-forth situation where you're vulnerable and then feeling superior.' It topped the Aussie singles chart for six weeks and is believed to have made history as the first debut No 1 single self-penned by a female singer. To capitalise on her success, she followed up with her debut album, The Garden which shows that her songwriting is not limited to one genre. Garden in My Room, Under the Water, State of Mind and Julie show the variety of pop, ballad and moody tunes that she is capable of.

Malaysian-born producer Siew was very impressed with her sound and encouraged her to record. 'He was the first person to believe in me and give me the confidence to pursue my goals. I guess that a record producer can be likened to a film director in that he looks through a camera lens, sees if that shot is right, and pulls the best out of the actors.' Ross Fraser signed her to Gotham Records after Bainbridge mailed him a three-song demo tape featuring nothing but vocals and guitar.

Fraser believes that a true singer should be involved in writing, mixing and producing a record - something that Bainbridge is more than willing to undertake. She wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 12 numbers on the new album. Her diligence in the studio has resulted in a close working relationship with Siew. Take Power of One as an example.

'I originally wanted to feature a boy's choir on this track [on The Garden] and I worked out the choir part, sang each one separately and put them on tape as a guide.

'Siew listened to it and said, 'That's great, let's leave it'. So we did.'

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