Opium Secret Sky and Brian Hughes featuring Caroline Lavelle

• 1 Opium 05:22
• 2 Alone with the Sea 06:32
• 3 Ocean of Souls 07:05
• 4 Ride the Wind 06:32
• 5 Alchemy 06:26
• 6 Fear a Bhata 07:09
• 7 Ariadne's Thread 06:12
• 8 Carrowmore 07:16
• Total Runtime 52:34

Info for Opium

Opium, the highly anticipated follow-up to Secret Sky's eponymous debut. Featuring the evocative vocals of Caroline Lavelle and the masterful guitar work of Brian Hughes, Secret Sky weaves together a tapestry of Pop and World music with exotic textures of the Middle Eastern Oud, Puerto Rican Cuatro, and the hypnotic Greek Lyra played by a contemporary master of the Lyra, Sokratis Sinopoulos. Opium takes the listener on a remarkable musical journey accompanied by an All-Star cast of musicians.

Caroline Lavelle and Brian Hughes have performed together for over 20 years when Caroline joined Brian as a member of Loreena McKennitt’s recording and touring ensemble. The idea for Secret Sky was born on a shuttle ride from their hotel to the Sao Paulo airport at the end of a South American tour with Loreena in 2013. After sending numerous songs and recordings back and forth via the internet, Caroline from Cornwall, UK and Brian from Los Angeles the result was their 2016 self-titled debut album Secret Sky.

Guitarist, Composer, and Producer Brian Hughes has been honored with the SOCAN / BMI Jazz & Instrumental Composer of the Year award seven times from 1997 to 2011 for his eight contemporary jazz recordings while his 36-year parallel career with Loreena McKennitt led to him receiving a Juno (Canadian Grammy) nomination as Producer of the Year for his work on her platinum-selling album, The Visit. Brian and Caroline’s skills as musicians are in the foreground on Loreena’s 2019 release "Live at the Royal Albert Hall" and on her 2012 Grammy-nominated trio recording “Troubadours on the Rhine”. McKennitt has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and Hughes along with Secret Sky bandmate Lavelle continue to appear together on numerous tours and recordings with Loreena.

Caroline Lavelle’s first foray as a vocalist was with Massive Attack, which brought her to the attention of William Orbit, who produced her first CD Spirit which garnered critical and popular acclaim. Among others, she has sung and / or played with Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, Vangelis, De Dannan, The Chieftains, Muse and The Indigo Girls. Her two other solo CDs (Brilliant Midnight and A Distant Bell) have produced songs since used on film & TV soundtracks including Six Feet Under, Joyride (John Dahl), The Eye of the Beholder (Ewan McGregor & Ashley Judd).

Caroline Lavelle, vocals, cello
Brian Hughes, guitar
Special guests:
Hugh Marsh, violin
Tal Bergman, drums, percussion
Tim Landers, bass
Sokratis Sinopoulos, Lyra
Matt Rohde, Hammond B3 organ
Clare Kenny, bass (track 8)

Produced by Brian Hughes

Caroline Lavelle
is a British cellist, composer, and singer / songwriter. She has released three solo albums, collaborated with numerous international musicians, and is currently a member of the trio Secret Sky.

Her career as a cello player started by chance: as a child, she’d been desperate to play the violin. On the day instruments were distributed, she was at the back of the queue. As luck would have it, when it was her turn, only a bassoon and a cello were left. Choosing the latter, she went on to study at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London. After graduating, she opted out of the orchestral route, preferring to perform her own compositions. “The creativity involved in writing one’s own music and having to marry lyrics and arrangements is much more challenging for me. My greatest love is writing.”

Caroline Lavelle in the 1980sIn the early 80’s Caroline recorded with acts such as Siouxie And The Banshees and Fun Boy Three, and busked in London with a group called Humoresque, together with Anne Stephenson and Gini Ball. Frankie Gavin from De Dannan spotted her busking, leading to a stint with the band for several years until the early ’90s. From this period onwards, Caroline worked with a wide variety of acts (Radiohead, The Cranberries, Peter Gabriel, Nigel Kennedy, Ryuichi Sakamoto, among others), and provided vocals for artists such as Vangelis and Hector Zazou. Her vocal contribution to Massive Attack’s song Home Of The Whale in 1992 led to her work on the soundtrack to the film The Eye Of The Beholder.

It was Home Of The Whale that also brought her to the attention of William Orbit, who asked her to work on an album. The resulting album (Spirit, 1995) featured a mix of traditional songs and original material written by Caroline, featuring William Orbit’s trademark production. It garnered critical and popular acclaim and The Times reported that it had inspired Madonna’s Ray of Light album.

In 2001 she released Brilliant Midnight, an album focusing more on Caroline’s skills as a songwriter and producer of her own material, organically blending her own classically inspired instrumentation with electronic arrangements. A year later, Caroline set up her own record label Ringing Tree Records, re-releasing Brilliant Midnight in a revised edition, reflecting the vision she initially had for that album.

A Distant Bell followed in 2004, and was met with positive reviews. The pastoral A Distant Bell could be described as Chamber Folk, and featured original material, traditional songs, and Caroline’s musical settings of Brian Patten’s poetry.

Together with Justin Elswick and Israel Curtis she has released several tracks for a project entitled Spythriller. A full-length album is in the works. In 2015 Caroline formed the band Secret Sky with Brian Hughes and Hugh Marsh. Having met 20 years earlier in 1995, the three have been playing as a part of Loreena McKennitt’s band ever since. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2016. The band is currently working on a follow up album.

Brian Hughes
Los Angeles resident Brian Hughes has carved out an impressive career in the contemporary jazz arena. His first two albums, Between Dusk and Dreaming and Under One Sky, firmly established him as one of the foremost guitarists and composers in the genre, perfectly blending his fluid and emotive guitar style into an exciting, melodic mix of Latin, Jazz and World Music compositions. After being picked as a winner in JAZZIZ Magazine's "Guitars On Fire" competition his subsequent recordings Straight To You, One 2 One, Shakin’ Not Stirred, Along the Way, Live and Fast Train To A Quiet Place have received critical acclaim and major radio air play from coast to coast. With his sizzling fret work and infectious compositions the media are accurate in saying: "Both a great artist and an accessible one. His passion is so obvious, intense and contagious, that his audience shares it.” Brian has received the SOCAN / BMI "Jazz & Instrumental Composer of the Year" award seven times from 1997 to 2011 and the title track from “Shakin’ Not Stirred” was featured on an episode of HBO’s “Sex and the City”.

Hughes is well known for his 35 year parallel career recording and touring with world renowned vocalist Loreena McKennitt (The Mummer’s Dance). Brian’s skills as a musician (guitars, oud, bouzouki) are in the foreground on her 2019 release "Live at the Royal Albert Hall" and his production & mixing talents are evident on her 2012 Grammy nominated recording “Troubadours on the Rhine”. McKennitt has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and Brian has toured the world several times with her, appearing on the "Late Show" with David Letterman and receiving a Juno (Canadian Grammy) nomination as "Producer of the Year” for his work on her platinum selling, Juno award winning album “The Visit”.

Brians' new side project Secret Sky brings together three of the most exciting and creative forces in Celtic/World music; Brian Hughes (guitars, oud & bouzouki), Caroline Lavelle (cello & vocals), and Hugh Marsh (fiddle). The three met over 20 years ago and have played together in Loreena McKennitt’s band since. Their eponymous debut album is produced by Brian Hughes, and is an exciting collaboration that brings thrilling power and emotional depth to both traditional and self-penned songs.

Hughes has also accompanied Celtic music legends, The Chieftains, on several tours and has Produced and Mixed several international platinum selling albums for Greek recording artists Alkistas Protopsalti, Evanthia Reboutsika, Yannis Kotsiras and Panayotis Kalantzopoulos, including the soundtrack for A Touch of Spice the top grossing film in Greek cinema history.

Brian's new project Secret Sky brings together three of the most exciting and creative forces in Celtic/World music, Brian Hughes, (guitars, bouzouki and oud), Hugh Marsh, (fiddle), and cellist and singer Caroline Lavelle. The three met over 20 years ago and have recorded and toured together in Loreena McKennitt’s band since. Their soon to be released debut CD "Secret Sky", produced by Brian Hughes is an exciting collaboration, bringing thrilling power and emotional depth to both traditional and self-penned songs. Brian Hughes and Hugh Marsh are electrifying live improvisers as anyone who has been at a Loreena McKennitt concert will testify, and this album has allowed them the freedom and space to achieve the passionate feel reminiscent of some of the expansive, filmic albums of the 70s. Caroline Lavelle’s trademark sultry voice occupies a greater range than she has used to date, ranging from the intimately delicate to a powerful folk rock persona, with her emotional cello playing making up a formidable range of talents across the trio. The other player's on the CD are drummer Tal Bergman (Loreena McKennitt, Joe Bonamassa, Rod Stewart, Simple Minds, Billy Idol) and bassist Tim Landers (Loreena McKennitt, Stevie Nicks, Tori Amos, Jethro Tull, BB King).

Booklet for Opium