Brigid O’Neill’s new album The Truth & Other Stories, recorded at Skinny Elephant Studios in Nashville with Neilson Hubbard in the producer’s chair, cannot help but be influenced by the times which informed it, ‘very few people escaped being affected by the pandemic, writers included. Somehow the experiences of it seeped through onto our work and I feel The Truth and Other Stories is no exception in that regard.’

That said, this is not specifically an album about Covid or the pandemic, ‘I was fascinated by the concept of ‘truth’ and intrigued by the concept of everyone having a different version of their truth….a personal viewpoint, their own narrative, their own story. The title plays a bit with shades of meaning – a ‘counter positioning’ if you like. The ‘other stories’ may challenge the truth, but ‘the truth’ retains that sense of the absolute. In the songs I hope to present the realities of different characters through short stories. As I moved through the pandemic however, different stories came to light and sometimes the focus would shift. Ultimately though, I have been living with these stories and these characters for some time now.’

Neilson Hubbard as producer was an obvious choice for O’Neill. A growing relationship with Nashville had seen her writing, playing and developing relationships with the many truly great musicians available across Music City. “Being in Nashville with a producer like Neilson who has such an intuitive feel for that music, and with access to musicians who simply live and breathe it, seemed like a good idea. I’d met Neilson a few times through our mutual friend and musician Ben Glover, and it was quickly clear we would get along and had a similar attitude to the music production process. When choosing a music producer, listening to their catalogue of works is crucial, but so too I think is that ‘gut feeling’ and knowledge that you can connect. When I sent Neilson my music, I knew he ‘got it’ and I knew I was in safe hands.”