Lucia Iman seems to embody what Sellaband was made for – giving talented and deserving artists the opportunity to record their album. From the first time I heard her voice and her song writing I passionately believed that she was both talented and deserving and as a lover of music I looked forward to owning a professionally recorded album of her songs.

Lucia’s journey to $50,000 bore many similarities to my own. It was slow and steady and she often got overlooked when it seemed fashionable to ensure other artists got to the target ahead of her. I confess I found that all a bit strange and I furrowed my brow and revisited her music to check I wasn’t imagining what I felt to be obvious talent and the foundation for a great album. I think throughout this journey she has conducted herself with dignity throughout. Despite the obvious temptation she hasn’t traded on her looks and she has remained humble and uncomplaining when being repeatedly overlooked. From afar, I have witnessed her struggle to touch a wider audience with her music and this has resonated with me. So it is with great pleasure that I write this introduction for ‘Tame The Night’.

As with all artists than have great ability and potential, you always have concerns that the album may not adequately showcase their talent, that it may be delivered in such a way that leaves you feel frustrated and underwhelmed, but I really need not have worried in this case. Lucia has delivered an achingly beautiful album. Malcolm Burn (producer) has done an incredible job of sensitively capturing her songs and alongside Lucia has kind of created an almost luxurious atmosphere of musical velvet.

Lucia has delivered stunning vocal performances throughout. I have only heard the album a couple of times to date but the songs have real depth that will demand listening to over and over again. ‘Eyes To Sea’ is a breathtaking song and ‘One, Two, Three’, which has shades of Regina Spektor, sees Lucia at her finest. ‘Ground Zero’ is probably the catchiest song on the album and has real radio play potential. These songs are my personal favourites but I will stop wittering on now and let you make up your own mind.  I think Lucia Iman has created one of the best albums to come out of Sellaband and I think every single one of her believers can feel extremely proud of helping this album to be created. I hope, like me, you enjoy it. (Daniel Ward-Murphy)

One year after Lucia reached the target of 50k with the support of 903 Believers on SellaBand she celebrated the release of her album together with her fans at a special listening session on November 30th. And I guess all the listeners were sold on the album. A few of them have reviewed the album:
Lucia Iman’s Sellaband CD “Tame The Night” is a really well produced album. I really enjoyed listening through it many times. A nice mellow mood thoughout. Nice to hear new versions of “old classics” like “Wintersong”, and new surprises like “One, Two, Three”, which I really enjoy. A top notch Sellaband album. I am happy to have been a believer of Lucia. (Christer Holm)

If sounds make friends with colours, Lucia Iman’s new album is painted in two: dark blue, almost turning into violet, and pale gold. Dark blue of a memory and sparkling gold of passion in Remember; the blue of uneasiness and fear and gold of daring in Tame the Night; the blue of the sea and grainy hot gold of the sand on the beach in Son de Mar; the blue of the evening winter sky and the gold of the candlelight in Wintersong. The gold of the light, the blue of the shadow, the blue of melancholy and gold of courage and hope. (Catself)

Listened to the Amazon.de free prelisten bits. Very nice, laid back, jazzy. Gonna love this album with a glass of wine in the still of the night and no one injuring the songs by talking. Great album, Lucia. (A Little Faith)

The album was produced by Grammy award winner producer Malcolm Burn in New York in the winter 2009. With the contribution of a group of brilliant musicians she delivers a likewise brilliant album. These are the musicians who supported Lucia: drummer Ethan Eubanks (Ivy, Norah Jones), trumpetist Dan Brantigan (Kaki King), violinist/arranger Kailin Yong, guitarrist Mark Axiak and Malcolm playing bass.

Lucia’s Bio (taken from her website):
She was born in Sevilla (Spain) and continues to spark interest in music circles at home and abroad, earning her a place in the top 100 unsigned artists by Music Connection Magazine in 2007 and 2009. She has drawn comparisons to Feist, Emiliana Torrini and Björk, but Lucia stands out as an independent artist carving a sound that transcends genre classification. “Lucia is a disarming performer and intriguing live act thanks to her natural talent,” Music Connection Magazine states, “Iman showes obvious promise … she is someone to keep an eye on.”

Lucia started playing classical piano as a young girl in Madrid’s conservatory and started writing and singing at an early age. She moved to Los Angeles with her family in 1996 and later attended Berklee in Boston in 2000, studying with teachers like Marlon Saunders (Michael Jackson, Bobby McFerrin, Sting) and Livingston Taylor (James Taylor).

In 2002 she went back to LA and her songwriting career began unfolding while performing in the local club circuit. Touring California and Oregon in the fall of 2006 as well as putting out her first European Tour in 2008 she garnered public acclaim at live shows and radio appearances in many cities including London, Bristol, Paris, Montpellier, Amsterdam, Madrid, Bremen and Tenerife.

The album release show will be at El Cid in LA on Sunday Nov 13th. Maybe some of you will join her and her fans. And I hope we will see her on stage again soon.

An album containing some wonderful songs, wonderfully performed. Go listen! (Daniel Ward-Murphy). And there’s nothing that needs to be added!

www.luciaiman.net

Q: What were your experiences during the time on SellaBand?
A: Many experiences to list; from epic adrenaline rushes of joy to deep states of frustration and everything in between. What I’m taking with me is the friends I’ve made and the knowing that all is well when I am true to myself and the music.

Q: Can you tell us something about the album production process – your experiences, impressions, …? Did it meet your expectations?
A: It was very simple; we recorded all the basic tracks (voice/piano) the first week I was in New York, so from the get go I knew I was in for a trek. Working with Malcolm was an invaluable tool, what I got was simple is always best, you can’t buy good taste and you better kill it the first time. It was everything I didn’t expect.

Q: When will your album be released? What kind of album can we expect?
A: Each listener will put it in a different box: to me it’s indie music, with some 20’s Jazz thrown in, some ambient stuff, some Soul, all me. I’m expecting the album release to be sometime in the Fall ’09…more to come on that.

Q: Why should people buy your album?
A: Because it’s the best thing they’ll listen to this year (and next).

Q: Do you have a special plan for a promotion campaign? How can we support you promoting the album?
A: I’m asking my believers to donate their unused CDs, so I can send them to newspapers, online magazines, radio stations and anywhere that will help create a buzz. Fans can help by creating demand in their towns or cities so I can come and play live shows, or doing any of the above. There will be a street-team section on my website too, where you can participate in getting the word out. Ideas and action are always welcome!

Q: What are your plans for the future? Will we have a listening session or a release party?
A: Count on a listening session coming soon. I’m trying to find out where the release party will be; in LA or in European grounds. My long-term plans are keep creating music I love, and my priority in the next months will be to have this album get some serious action.

For all those who do not know Lucia yet, here are some facts about her (taken from her SellaBand profile):

On November 30th 2008 she hits 50k as 29th Artist on Sellaband thanks to the support of 903 Fans.

Lucia is a chanteuse/pianist from Sevilla (Spain). She now lives in Los Angeles where she composes, performs and teaches. She has travelled around the world with her music and has a broad range of credits as a recording artist globally. She initiated her formal training as a pianist at the Real Musical Conservatory in Madrid and later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston as a vocalist for Jazz and Contemporary studies.

Music Connection Magazine considers Lucia Iman one of the top 100 unsigned acts of 2007 and calls her “disarming performer and intriguing live act thanks to her natural talent. Iman shows obvious promise. She is someone to keep an eye on.”

Her style has been described as “Anti-pop”. Lucia put forth her first European Tour in the spring of 2008, performing at 8 different cities, including London, Paris and Madrid and amassing public acclaim at live and radio shows.

Her album was recorded with the support of Grammy winner producer Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Kaki King, Sonya Kitchell…) and will be released in autumn this year.
For more details and latest news check Lucia’s blog.