THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE
Orland gospel singer to record new album
This article is being reproduced with permission from The Orland Park Prairie.
By Bill Jones, Assistant Editor
Orland Parker Susan Manion appears to be Nashville-bound for her next album. After several years ago recording a three-song album featuring a cover of Michelle Branch’s “All You Wanted,” Manion said she has made many trips to Nashville, but soon she said she will be recording a new album there.
Manion – who has been a featured performer at B. B. King’s Restaurant and Blues Club in Nashville – said she plans to record with engineer David Hall and producer Jim Van Cleve at Blackbird Studio, likely later this year. Hall and Van Cleve have worked with the likes of LeAnn Rhymes, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood. And the opportunity to work with them isn’t lost on Manion. “It’s pretty overwhelming”, Manion said of her opportunities in Nashville.
Studio manager Scott Phillips said firm dates have not been set, but he expects the team will be working with Manion sometime this year. Blackbird Studios is owned by Martina McBride. Many stars record at her studio. There are a lot of studios to choose from. Through the program, an independent artist like Manion with a flexible schedule has a chance to record at a studio as prominent as Blackbird, and even get upgraded to one of the studio’s bigger rooms based on availability, Phillps explained.
Manion said she’s always been interested in performing, ever since she saw “Annie” and came home to perform the show. She said she participated in talent shows at a young age and sang at weddings. “Everything has happened so quickly but I’ve been performing all my life,” Manion said. There is no such thing as overnight success-it takes a life time.
The singer said she’d like to write some of her own music or work with writers on songs catered to her vocal style at some point, but she said it all just depends how things go in the studio, noting that her talent agents and producers will likely have many songs waiting for her. Either way, Manion said she’s happy about what the future holds.
“I love music,” Manion said. “I’ll do it for the rest of my life.”
This article is being reproduced with permission from The Orland Park Prairie.
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