NEWS
Press Release via AS Written, January 2022
BORLAND’S BACK WITH CHEEKY PHILIBERT CUT
Not a man to ever spend too long away from the studio these past few years, Donegal’s NORMAN BORLAND is already on his way back to the airwaves with his first record of 2022 before the month’s end. And Norman‘s cheeky take on Jon Philibert‘s light-hearted tale of heartache is exactly what we need to guide us through the early days of a brand new year and set us on a perfect course for brighter days ahead.
“I have a list of songs in the back of my mind that I want to record someday, and it’s something I’m always adding to”, reveals Norman, before laughing as he adds, “That’s probably one of the reasons why I spend so much time in the studio! And SHE DON’T LOOK THAT LONELY TO ME has been on that list since the moment I first heard it.”
“And I’m not talking about the moment I first heard the whole song”, he points out, “I mean from the moment I heard the first few lines. It’s just one of those perfectly written country songs that has a way of putting a smile on your face even though it’s about a heartache! That’s the genius of great songwriting. And there’s no doubt about it, Jon Philibert is that kind of genius. I’m a huge fan of his work, and it’s an honour for me to be able to put my stamp on any song of his, but especially this one.”
Working once again with his long-time producer Brian Kerrigan, SHE DON’T LOOK THAT LONELY TO ME sees Norman follow on from what was a very busy year of releases in 2021, with the man who modestly describes himself as simply being “a country singer singing country songs” sending four tracks to radio in the last twelve months. The first of those was his take on the Don Williams hit Healing Hands this time last year, with Gerry Guthrie joining him for their version of John Bunzow‘s up-tempo feel-good tune Ain’t No LittleThing in April. In June, Norman was once again joined by a special guest as the wonderful Patricia Maguire shared vocal duties on the Randy Travis, Steve Dorff, and John Bettis penned Friends Like Us. Norman’s biggest hit of 2021 was his final release of the year, the Jerry House number Working Woman.
With the ‘live’ music scene still shrouded in uncertainty, Norman admits that it’s tough to plan too far ahead in that regard, but he can’t wait to get back in front of as many people as possible as soon as he can. And in the meantime, there are no prizes for guessing where he’ll be found…that’s right…in the studio!
“I’m talking to people about ‘live’ dates for the year ahead, and we’re putting some plans in place where we can. I’m certainly open to talking to anyone in that regard, all they have to do is get in touch and we’ll chat, no problem. But what I am 100% sure of is that there’ll be more new music coming throughout the rest of 2022, that’s for certain. And what a song to kick things off with in Jon Philibert’s SHE DON’T LOOK THAT LONELY TO ME. We’re setting the bar high for ourselves again, but that’s the only way to do it. Country fans deserve no less.”
Regarded as one of British country music’s leading lights when it comes to the art of crafting a song, Londoner Philibert holds the distinction of having written the song that is a special part of the Tom Jones story, with I’ve Been Rained On Too being his longest ever country charting record. The song became a top-ten hit for the Welsh legend in 1984, going on to hold a place on the Billboard Country chart for a staggering twenty-two weeks. I’ve Been Rained On Too has also been recorded by Charlie Landsborough and featured on his 1989 collection, Still Can’t Say Goodbye. Other Irish artists to have recorded titles from the Philibert songbook include Larissa Tormey, Mick Flavin, and Trevor Loughrey.
~ SHE DON’T LOOK THAT LONELY TO ME, the NEW SINGLE from NORMAN BORLAND, will be released on all digital platforms on FRIDAY, JANUARY 21st, and will be available to request from radio from Tuesday, January 11th.
On The Right TRAX 