Few things are more obvious — or attractive — to listeners than emotional authenticity.
Enter Andrea Ball. The Denver singer- songwriter has already made a name for herself around town with melody- drenched, piano-driven songs that put a smart spin on typical relationship woes.
But her debut album, “Dial Tone,” exudes the sort of experience and sophistication that can’t be faked — a result of playing dozens of shows since her 2008 EP, “Beat Beat Pound,” and a handful of harrowing personal experiences.
The album drips with the sort of soulful, alluring songwriting that has made Cat Power, Bat for Lashes and St. Vincent the heroines of the indie music world.
We spoke with Ball in advance of her album release at the Hi-Dive tonight about the way the new album came together and the cathartic power of music.
Q: I understand “Dial Tone” was produced by Nathan Johnson, who did the soundtracks for the movies “The Brothers Bloom” and “Brick.” How did that come together?
A: I loved his music and a couple of albums I heard that he had produced and I knew it would be great to work with him. The process was very thought-through and experimental at the same time.
Q: How so?
A: We initially worked through e-mail, because he lives in New Haven, Conn. My parts and the song structures were settled for the most part before we started in the studio, but all the other parts weren’t. Recording was a blast. Three weeks of 10-hour days made me a happy person.
Q: I’ve heard the album was inspired by a box of old love letters you found. Is that true?
A: I was going to write an entire album based on other peoples’ love letters, so I had Googled some, found some and asked people to give me some. I had a ton of them I was reading. But the funniest thing happened in the middle of this process.
Q: What was that?
A: I was flying to L.A. and when I got off the plane I was followed by this guy sitting a few rows back. He followed me to the bathroom, through all the walkways, to baggage claim and out to the bus stop. He handed me a letter wrapped in toilet paper, didn’t say a thing and ran away. I was so creeped out I just busted out in laughter. Of course I opened the letter and it was some sort of poem about how he’d been watching me the entire time from a few rows back on the plane and how enamored he was.
Q: Oh, man, that’s a great and very creepy story.
A: That’s when I decided I needed to make my album personal because I had plenty of my own “love letters” to write about. I thought, if some strange guy has the guts to give me this letter I should have the guts to write something from my perspective. It’s funny how some interactions, as small as this, can change your mind about the entire process.
Q: There’s a strong sense of experience and maturity on the new album. What have you been through since the last album that may have informed that?
A: I’ve experienced some pretty intense personal loss in the last two years. I was shocked, as most of it came at the same time. During this time, someone I knew was murdered … she was my age and had all kinds of plans for her life, just like I did. Her death caused me to rethink my entire life. After drowning in some personal sorrow, this experience shook me out of it so fast, suddenly I had a different outlook on life and how fragile and short it was.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
Andrea Ball
Piano-pop. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. CD-release show with O’Holloran and Cody Crump. Today. 8 p.m. $6. 720-570-4500 or
