On her fourth studio album, Give, Anjuli Dawn expresses herself with a startling fulsomeness - she takes us on a journey, showing us what it means to live vibrantly through life's ups and downs.
The disc, released independently on September 6 th , 2006, maintains much of the organic sound of its predecessors, Reason (2004), If I Stand (2001), and While I Live (2000). On her latest effort Anjuli really took the reigns by engineering, recording, and producing this album all on her own. The effect eclipses her earlier work, surpassing listeners' expectations and transporting them to new ground. She brings forth a musical vision she is excited to share, while donating proceeds from CD sales to the world's hungry. She says, "Releasing Give feels monumental to me. I really got what I wanted; we turned what I was hearing in my head into something that other people could hear."
And, other people are hearing Give. CD Baby has featured Give on their site, praising the album, "...it's a sneaky kind of slow wonder that settles into your bones, that feeling of ' something here is incredibly right. ' Anjuli Dawn and her disc, Give , possess that kind of subtlety and care...there is a distinctive, incessant and driving determination to her songs, a kind of resilient emotionality...that gives her music an additional dimension of meaning and appeal...if female folk rock appeals to you in the slightest, this is an album to spend time with."
While the 24-year old songwriter from Rochester, Michigan laid the groundwork with her driving guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin parts, her music takes on an additional dimension as she incorporates new instrumentation on Give: piano tracks (played by her brother, jazz musician Jesse Elder), and a string section. As before, Anjuli explores the themes of emotion, integrity, loss, and joy in her lyrics, icing the cake with rich vocals and background harmonies. "My hope for this project was to create a timeless record that will still be enjoyed 10 years down the road," says Dawn.
Anjuli has performed for hundreds of audiences throughout Canada and the United States with great response. She began playing at age 5, and performing at age 14 with her mother's band. She has studied song writing and structure under Heather Childs and grammy-nominated Karen Taylor-Good, and shared stages with the likes of Livingston Taylor, Emaline Delapaix, Victoria Vox, and Josh White.
Anjuli Dawn puts on a memorable show; her guitar style is lively and refreshing, her presence warm and inviting. As P.J. Powell, President of Paladine Music puts it, "Anjuli Dawn knows how to use her God-given talent. When I looked at her for the first time I thought, 'yeah right...let's see what this pip-squeak can do.' She made me eat my words. She blew me away! Anjuli is definitely connected with the magic."
