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Passion, Prayer and Poison

What we have here is one of those blog posts it's only safe to make live after I've gotten over a ridiculous month-long flu. Because if I had posted this a couple weeks ago and made known to people like, oh I don't know, my MOM, that I missed precious sleep because of a deadline she would have been on that phone SO FAST to cuss me out. But now I'm getting well, the artwork is in, deadlines were made, everyone is happy, and it's finally safe to post about the project.

A couple months ago my very good friend Karen Paurus told me she was recording an album. This was some really fucking fantastic news because the woman can sing. I mean, DAMN, THAT WOMAN, SHE CAN SING. In fact she was named 'Minnesota Female Vocalist of the Year' in 1999 because she's just THAT GOOD. I also worked my friendship in as many ways as I could think just so I could get ahold of the cd early -- which I did of course, but only after she twisted my arm and begged and pleaded with me, and maybe even got down on her knees, to do her photography and album artwork. After, oh I don't know, thinking about it for a whole 0.05 microseconds I agreed and we began our journey to beautiful art together over hot dogs on the patio at The Bulldog in Northeast. Ain't nothing that says beautiful, sensual, emotional dialogue like a couple of big ol' juicy dogs if you know what I mean. (There might've been cocktails involved too, but don't tell our bosses.)

She told me about the album and we instantly began plotting the first photoshoot. Dark, light, mysterious, sensual, luxurious... the album is an amalgamation of dark and light, blues and jazz, indie and contemporary, it has the flavor of so many different genres it honestly needs its own, brand, spankin' new genre to even begin to describe how incredibly fantastic it is. And if you knew how much Karen liked herself some spankin' ... well ...

One thing led to another and she recorded the album at Brewhouse Studios in Minneapolis last November. I went with her to the studio one evening and snapped some pretty amazing shots of her on piano and her musicians - guitarist, cello, stand-up bass, drummer - doing their thing. Of course I haven't posted much from this shoot yet but I think maybe now I will. It was really f*cking cool to see a live album being recorded.

We knocked out the full album shoot in December just before Christmas. An incredible day that led to her album cover:

Now I'm going to tell you a secret but you can't share this with anyone: we shot that photo in her bathtub. Just a typical Sunday morning at Karen's house ... lounging around the bathtub in a full out evening gown, hat, fake eyelashes, and diamonds. You know, the norm. Also captured that day was the shot I used inside her CD, behind the cd tray:

There's one final photo per Karen's request on the album artwork, a photo I used both on the cd imprint and the back cover. A cookie to whomever can tell me when / where I took this (because you guys totally know, I know you do):

'Passion, Prayer and Poison' officially unleashes itself on the world March 15th with a CD Release Show at The Times in Northeast. You totally didn't hear this from me but there's every chance she'll not only be performing songs from the CD, but maybe just maybe having some surprise Minneapolis musician-type friends there as well. Who knows, IT'S A SURPRISE! And you'll just have to be there to find out. I'll be there, the one with the camera if you have trouble spotting me. I wouldn't miss this party for the world (and neither would her biggest fan who will be too busy oogling to actually take any of his own pictures). He's having his own love affair with a sneak preview of her album.

The artwork turned out really beautiful and I'm ecstatic I could give her something that really compliments the amazing job she did on the album. Can't wait for you guys to hear it in a couple weeks! It's gonna knock. your. socks. off.