常速英语:Kasey Chambers' 'Little Bird' Takes Flight

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Kasey Chambers is one of Australia’s biggest country music stars. Despite critical raves for her five solo albums, Kasey is still not a familiar name in the United States. Her new CD “Little Bird” may change all that.

Kasey Chambers was just 11 years old when she began her career as a member of The Dead Ringer Band, a group led by her parents.  In 1999, at the age of 23, Kasey released her first solo album to considerable international acclaim.  Since then, she’s gone on to become a huge country star in her native Australia, and her albums continue to win over critics across the globe.

Today, Kasey is the 35-year-old mother of two young boys, with another baby on the way. “Little Bird” is her first solo album since 2006, and some critics are calling it “the album of her career.”

One song from the CD, “Beautiful Mess,” was the big winner of the 2010 International Songwriting Competition, earning Kasey a $25,000 (US) grand prize. She beat 15,000 composers from 115 countries for the honor. This was the first time Kasey entered the international competition, and she says winning for “Beautiful Mess” makes it even more special, as the song was written for her two sons, Talon and Arlo.

Kasey Chambers wrote 14 new songs for “Little Bird,” and describes the CD as a “really positive album,” even though there are a few sad songs. She explains, “there’s got to be some sad songs - it’s a country record.” And of those sad songs, “Somewhere” is probably the saddest. The track features Patty Griffin’s harmony singing.

Kasey Chambers is now on a brief U.S. tour, and then plays a festival in Fiji before heading home for shows in Australia.

“Little Bird”  closes with a song written as a gift for her husband, fellow singer-songwriter Shane Nicholson. Kasey says she forgot all about Valentine’s Day until Shane gifted her with presents and flowers.  Kasey felt so bad that she headed into her office and wrote “The Stupid Things I Do” as his present.