Life stories in song: Crystal Plamondon draws inspiration out of personal drama
In the seven years since her last CD, Crystal Plamondon has acquired plenty of “life stories” to inspire her next song collection.
Her parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, a dear friend died of cancer, and Plamondon was briefly and unhappily married to an American. She also lived in Louisiana — both before and after the devastation of hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
As a result of these emotionally charged experiences, every song on her latest release, On a Song and a Prayer, has taken on highly personalized meaning, said Plamondon, who will perform in Red Deer on Friday, March 20 at the Elks Lodge.
For instance, she combined the turbulent wake of the tropical storms with the emotional fallout from her failed marriage to come up with the tune Like a Hurricane.
“It all fell into place,” said the Franco-Albertan country-cajun singer, who managed to escape the wrath of both 2005 storms because of some broadcasting obligations in Canada. Plamondon returned to Louisiana area soon after Hurricane Rita struck to discover many of her friends there had lost their homes and livelihoods.
“Southern Louisiana will never be the same, ever,” she concluded, adding “I really don’t like hurricanes — there’s nothing scarier. I’m a prairie girl.” Plamondon admitted that’s mostly why she moved back to Canada.
While the songwriter tapped into some tragic inspiration for her music, she stressed her new CD is far from a downer. “I tried to make it peaceful and fun. More inspirational.”
She came up with the CD title, On a Song and a Prayer, several years ago, thinking the saying well reflected the precariousness of raising her now two grown children as a divorced single parent who sings for a living.
Plamondon never wrote a song with the same name until two days after a friend complained that she had no title track for her album. “I had this dream about a song I was supposed to write,” recalled Plamondon, who turned it into the tune, On a Song And a Prayer, which “sums up the whole album.”
This kind of kismet is par for the course for Plamondon.
Last summer, the singer who hails from the northern Alberta town of Plamondon, founded by her great-grandfather, was talked into being on the bill for the Central Music Festival in Red Deer. She admits she was at a two-year emotional low, but agreed, and the concert turned out to be a turning point in her career.
Not only is she now represented by Red Deer-based manager Mike Bradford, but photos for her latest album were taken by a local photographer at an area farm. “Now I feel I’m going home to Red Deer,” said Plamondon, whose personal life has similarly taken off.
She is happily involved with singing guitar-player Dayle Simpson, who is touring with Plamondon, as a member of her five-person band.
Tickets to Plamondon’s 8 p.m. concert are $29.20 from Black Knight Ticket Centre.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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