... She's her own woman, something that shines through powerfully in her punchy and relevant lyrics.
The Leader Post
When Canadian songstress Melanie Doane wrote "Happy Homemaker" for her breakthrough album Adam's Rib in 1998, she couldn't have known how the song would eventually take on a whole new meaning in her life a few years down the road. With the birth of her first child in 2001, and a second in 2003, the poignantly poetic lyrics describing one woman's struggle to balance a career and a home life became Melanie's reality - one which would prove to be both chaotic and tranquil, and ultimately the inspiration behind her breathtaking new work, A Thousand Nights.
An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and singer - Doane quickly found herself immersed in a creative space of interpretation, collaboration, and self-reflection, with many days being spent between her home and a Toronto recording studio, where she worked with producer/brother Creighton Doane and producer Daniel Leblanc. Tucked in a musical hideaway on the outskirts of a bustling metropolitan core, the trio worked away on lush arrangements for a variety of material (including both original tunes and covers).
"The instrumentation on this record became a huge part of what it is," Melanie reflects. "We ended up playing everything ourselves, with the exception of our special guests parts." The album features Melanie on piano, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass, and of course, vocals, while the special guests list boasts a brilliant entourage of Canadian musicians, including Jim Cuddy, Ron Sexsmith, and Ted Dykstra, to name a few.
The result of these efforts is A Thousand Nights, a collection of songs that exceeds Melanie's original intentions. It's not quite a lullaby album, not quite a covers album, not quite a pop album and yet, not really a folk album either. Nevertheless, one thing that remains evident about A Thousand Nights is that it is all Melanie Doane, and that means the musical landscape is soulful, moving, and imaginative.
After a five-year hiatus, Doane returns with quite a special album opening with her own, lovely 'Every Little Thing.' Tackling 'Song of Bernadette' was gutsy and successful and her Ron Sexsmith duet on 'Devoted to You' is near perfect. Wow!
Vancouver Province
"... Slow dancing on a sawdust floor, Doane knows it's right with a Blue Rodeo harmony singer (Jim Cuddy). The fiddled Fleetwood Mac cover ('Songbird') is the kindest made-in-Canada duet of the year"
- Globe and Mail
"... A Thousand Nights is a soothing mix of 70's songs (including 'Devoted To You,' 'Song of Bernadette' and 'Wildflowers') each of them graced with Doane's artful touch (she plays mandolin, bass, guitar, fiddle and piano). Album highlights: Duets with Ron Sexsmith, Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo fame and Doane's husband, Ted Dykstra."
- Canadian Living
Doane is a talented artist with a cheery inviting stage presence, well worth going to see.
Halifax Daily News
