She’s been in JAX town since January 27th, playing to a
sell-out crowd at the Alhambra Theatre and Dining, and Gail Bliss recently took a
little time out with her band (The Boys) to entertain at the Mudville
Music Room on Beach Blvd. Bliss also
is proud to introduce her latest CD entitled “Play It By Heart - Songs From the Musical.” Every show has been a “sell-out” performance
and you can testify to that fact when you get a chance to listen to Ms Bliss.
This new CD (Play It By Heart - Songs From the Musical) is actually the soundtrack
for a musical that Gail has been working on for years. Bliss started the project some years ago. Gail
Bliss is the lead producer on this musical project which was co-written by David
Spangler of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Jerry Taylor of Nashville; also under the direction of Tony Migliore,
of Nashville, Tennessee.
A brief synopsis of the show "Play It By Heart": Jeannine Jasper's career as a superstar country singer is
on the decline. She's been on the road
for years and is ready for major changes in her life. The dysfunctional Jasper Family - three
strong women and their men - struggle to survive and find love as the music
industry dramatically changes. Emotions
run high as years of deception and betrayal unravel in the songs they write and
the lies they hide.
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| (LtoR) Paul Kramer, Gail Bliss, Brian Aylor, Dave Webb, Penn Pennington, Russ Wever, and Rory Hoffman |
When you listen to the CD, you can hear the
show's story-line unravel (Get a snippet of the CD HERE). The opening
song, "Play It By Heart - Songs From the Musical" (which was co-written by Gail) pretty much
sets up the entire show with its lyrics. Gail
has rewritten each song in order to fulfill a dream. Gail is singing the men's songs, the younger
and the older gal's songs, in addition to songs specifically for "Jeannine"
on this album.
Just in case you missed the performance at Mudville Music Room, here’s a taste of what you missed.
Gail sang: “Let's Fall In Love,” “Gonna Be Your Little
Devil” (the two-step original from her new album, Play It By Heart); “Cry,” “I
Love You More” (an original from her gospel CD), “Heartaches,” and “Will The
Circle Be Unbroken.”
Gail and The Boys also combined their voices to sing: “Sentimental
Journey,” “Working On a Building,” “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon,” and “Happy Trails” (Haven’t
heard it this good since the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans show).
Rory Hoffman was featured singing and playing: “Avalon,”
“Autumn Leaves,” “Half As Much” (vocals and guitar and scat with solo that Rory
performed solo on the Grand Ol' Opry) and his original “Day Job.”
Paul Kramer was featured on: “Picadilly Circus” and “Old Devil
Time” (two originals from Paul's album.), “Monkeys With Car Keys” (original
from Paul's "Swing Street" CD) and “Man of Constant Sorry.”
Penn Pennington (guitarist) vocal feature: “San Antonio
Rose.”
Dave Webb (Bassist) vocal feature: “Lay You Down.”
Russ Wever (steel guitarist) feature: “Stealin' Home.”
Brian Aylor is the drummer for all of Gail’s
shows while here in Jacksonville, Florida.
