 Motor Scooter - The CD
Recorded between 1996 and 1997 in Irene's studio, Moonstone Productions, Motor Scooter was Irene's first CD release.
Participating in the recording were:
Iain Cameron, bass,
Deb Rhymer, background vocals,
Mike Sampson, lead guitar and
Sean Wallbridge, percussion
The CD is a collection of fine folk/pop/country style songwriting, plenty of acoustic guitar and a fresh, "live" sound. The recording was done over a period of 6 months using a 1" reel-to-reel Tascam MSR-24 recorder, a Mackie CR-1604-VLZ board, a ProVerb effects processor and dbx 1 compressor/limiter. Irene was the jack of all trades, alternating between engineer, producer, songwriter and performer. "My idea was to have the songs as the centre of the recording. I began by building a simple arrangement around each one, that was meant to create solid support without interfering with each song's original feel. It's difficult going from performer, filling in all of the "spaces", and then going into a studio and letting all of the players create those fills! But I'm pretty pleased with the results."
What People Have Said About Motor Scooter
"...(Jackson's) intimate voice, engaging lyrics, and sweet acoustic guitar progressions combine to form a pop-flavoured sound that is very pleasant, elegant, and listenable. Motor Scooter is a fine first recording."
Gene Wilburn, NORTHERN JOURNEY ONLINE
"...Jackson is a storyteller and uses her talent as a unique guitar stylist to paint a colourful backdrop, and then finishes the portrait with her smooth, unforgettable voice..."
Cherelle Jardine, HOOK, LINE & SINGER
"...the voice is warm and genuine, telling us musical stories, memories and observations with a supportive but uncluttered instrumental back-up..."
Ken Orchard, CFUV-FM Radio, Victoria
"...Jackson wrestles with her own ambivalence about ambition, not to mention love, age and loss on Motor Scooter. Her appealing voice and light touch on the acoustic guitar help bring these songs to life."
SOCAN Words & Music, Sept/97
Irene's Take on the CD
"Motor Scooter is probably a closer reflection of my 'real' life than even I would care to admit! But I've found that when you speak from real experiences, the song somehow takes a straighter course from the writer to the listener. The title cut 'Motor Scooter' is my Walter Mitty collection of wishes, 'Where You Are' and 'Good For Me' mark a return to romance which is somehow much more interesting at 40 (!), and 'One More' was as a result of watching my husband experience the death of someone close for the first time in his life.
"I think that 'Fear Of Falling' expresses a new direction in my guitar-playing style...it's challenging to play everytime, and 'Fusion and Fire' is the one I really enjoyed as far as working the lyrics in a more clever vein . I took 'Sweet Cinderella' to a Power Songshop put on by SAC (Songwriter's Association of Canada), and ended up reworking it enough that I had to record the drum and bass tracks and start all over again! But it became a much stronger song, and has a totally different groove than the others."
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