Album

They have a connection with people that I think will translate worldwide

Dave Rideau, 3-time Grammy nominee

Songs

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The Making of Songbirds

The glass door to the vocal booth slid closed and Marissa took a very, very, very deep breath. Here she was in LA at Westlake Studios where Michael Jackson had recorded ‘Thriller’.

In the control room two of the music industry’s finest ears were about to hear every tiny detail of her voice. There was nowhere to hide. Fear rose sharply up her chest from her stomach. Her eyes darted around the microphones and cables and then landed on her life raft.

Marla’s face beamed back at her through the glass. She had one hand on her headphones and the other rested on her enormous pregnant belly. Here they were about to birth the child that had been growing within them their whole lives.

A golden smile pierced the fear as it shot up from her heart and broke out across her face. She felt tears of love beginning to roll, and then, in her ears, the music began.

She sent Marla love via their silent language, closed her eyes, and began to sing.

The album itself was conceived while they were supporting Daniel Rodriguez on his 2008 tour of New Zealand. He was so moved by their sound and presence that he decided to put his own recording on hold to produce their debut album.

With a Producer on board the girls now needed to commit to a style and songlist. Having sung together forever they shared an enormous repertoire of classical, operatic, musical theatre and pop songs, but through all the various evolutions of their career a distinct and unique style that was truly ‘Marla & Marissa’ had eluded them.

The first four songs chose themselves.

‘I Need You To Turn To’ was the song that melted Daniel’s heart when he heard them perform it on tour.

‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ represented a return to the joy and freedom they had experienced singing during their teenage years.

Neil Diamond’s ‘Be’ showcased the girls soaring, ethereal harmonies and aligned with their values.

‘Fields of Gold’ is a Sting classic that was covered by Eva Cassidy. The girls had added it to their repertoire when Blix Street Records suggested they do an Eva Cassidy tribute album.

The last two tracks were more left-field.

‘You Would Have Loved This’ was written by Cori Connors and had originally been created for American Idol. It found it’s way to Daniel and he just knew it would work. The girls weren’t so sure.

The distinctly pop-oriented songlist was balanced by a gorgeous hymn. ‘Saved By Grace’ was written in 1891 by Fanny Crosby. It was suggested by the girls step-father (and long-time professional advocate) Malcolm Hopwood. The song allowed the twins to show off their classical and operatic technique and fitted neatly into the album’s themes of hope, love, freedom and faith.

Daniel engaged Mike Garson & Time Heintz, two unique and distinct arrangers to create the musical foundations of the songs.

‘Songbirds’ was recorded in two separate blocks at LA’s famous Westlake Studios.

To steer the sound as the record’s engineer Daniel enlisted dear friend & collaborator Dave Rideau, who in fact helped build the studio in the early 1970s.

Dave is 3-time Grammy nominee having worked with such luminaries as Sting, Janet Jackson & TLC. His intimate connection to the physical space added to the sense that this was a family project.

The first six tracks were recorded in November 2008 while Marla was 7 months pregnant.

The emotional high point of these sessions came with the recording of ‘You Would Have Loved This’. The lyrics speak to a dearly departed and serendipitously the recording fell on the first anniversary of their father’s death. Until they stepped into the vocal booth the song hadn’t quite gelled for either Marla or Marissa. But, as they began to sing they felt his presence in the room.

The symmetry was divine. As they birthed their gift to the world their departed father was there to bless it.

2 months later, Alexandra Grace Rodriguez was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It was a homecoming for Marla who had lived in America pursuing her operatic career for 15 years.

There was little rest, however, for just 5 short weeks after the birth Marla, Marissa, their mother, Daniel & Alexandra all went on tour around New Zealand.

The concerts were an opportunity for the girls to test the first six songs on a live audience, experiment with ideas for the remaining songs, and to fuse their voices to an even deeper level.

When they returned to Westlake Studios in July they did so with a new level of freedom & confidence.

See what unfolded in the ‘Making Of’ video at the top of this page…