One of the most effective and affecting new singer/songwriter is LIZ SHEA. Mike Rimmer caught up with the lady whose wistful music can reduce audiences to tears.

Liz Shea

The studio at Cross Rhythms radio is filling with people. Singer/songwriter Liz Shea is mid interview, her music is playing through the studio speakers and Tony Cummings has joined me and Liz's friend for a chat while the programme is going out live. He is squinting at the review he wrote of her CD in the last magazine. He reads it out loud and then the grovelling begins. It's one of those things - he received a pre-release copy with only a few of the tracks that would finally appear on the release and took it for the whole album. Consequently the review questions the value for money of buying a CD with so few songs on it. Whoops! Explanations are given and Liz graciously decides not to break off diplomatic relations with this publication!

Cross Rhythms first encounter with Liz was when she fronted a Saltmine band called Word Of Mouth. They recorded one EP and for three years worked with students in Manchester. She remembers, "It was a fantastic experience and I still miss the boys! Circumstances meant that we had to disband - there was no animosity whatsoever but it was a great experience for me as it forced me out front. I gained a whole load of confidence in being able to connect with people when I was on stage. It also meant that I could get used to performing without the barrier of a piano. It's certainly given me the confidence to go for the solo experience wholeheartedly."

Her self-titled solo album was recorded live, with Liz singing to her own piano accompaniment with a few other instruments added later. The result is incredibly intimate, at turns vulnerable and poignant. I joke with her that she's the woman who writes songs that make people cry. In particular it seems to be a song called "Trust" that touches people.

Liz explains, "I've had people talking to me about this song. I think it's achieved a number of things, which is what I want my songs to do. It's really a challenge to safeguard trust in a relationship. If you betray somebody or if you're betrayed, we all know how hard it is to trust again. I've tried to encapsulate something of that in this song."
And people cry when they hear it? "I did a gig a couple of months ago where a lady walked out in tears and had to go home. She was really raw as her husband had just walked out on her and it was all too much for her to bear. I don't know what to do in that scenario - whether or not to do the song because it will have an effect on some people - or for others it can be something that they'll treasure. People have come up to me and said that they would really guard that trust in their relationships, and that's the effect I want it to have."

These days Liz lives in Oxford where her husband Martyn is training for the ministry. She is destined to become a vicar's wife. However, she is clear that she has her own vision for her music and somehow I can't imagine her staying at home making cakes! "Because I'm an evangelist at heart, my heartbeat is to be out there singing to people who don't know Christ and revealing something of his love for them. I also want to do some apologetics with my music and put truth in people's hearts. It's a powerful thing that we need to be doing as Christians. There are so many lies that come over the airwaves through the music industry, which are fed into people's lives and which they take on board. My heart is to get music with truth in it out to the populace. I'm looking to get a mainstream recording deal, or looking at ways to get my songs out there - whether that's through a publishing deal or recording deal. I just want my songs to be heard."

Essentially her stripped down self-titled voice and piano album is a way for Liz to introduce herself and her music. "It's a calling-card and me establishing myself as a singer/songwriter and solo artist. This is what I do and is essentially me." The album is a very musical experience, and it's grown-up, so she doesn't easily fit in with the usual pop-scene. Liz agrees, "I think I am quite grown up in my music -partly because I love working with students, dealing with deeper issues and love engaging with people one-on-one. I seek to do that in my music so that it would challenge them - spiritually and mentally. It is quite musically demanding as well and that partly comes from my classical background. Lately I've been working on making myself accessible to people."

That work includes recording demos of her newer songs aimed more at the mainstream pop market. There's some interest in her work, so watch this space! In the meantime, her debut album is filled with moving songs and the one that got to me (though I didn't cry!) is "Loved By You (Captivating)" which seems to perfectly express the unconditional love of God.

Liz explains the inspiration for the song. "Martyn and I had had quite a tough experience. We'd been doing a lot of Christian ministry, and had to come back to basics at one point, where we just had to ask ourselves if what we were doing made God love us any more than He could. The realisation that nothing we can do can make God love us any more is amazing, because His love for us is complete. We fall into the trap of thinking we can somehow earn God's love. It all comes back to the timeless truth of grace. That's what I've tried to capture in the song."
The mainstream beckons her heart but her focus will always remain on ministry, however that is expressed. "I feel, as an evangelist, that the mainstream is the only place for me to be. But I'm aware that the mainstream doesn't welcome people who are evangelistic. I intend to keep doing it at Christian events but I also want to impact the way people think, which is more to do with apologetics. When I'm doing a concert I don't come in with the gospel; I actually start a lot further back and make connections with people, which is what we do in friendships when we want to introduce our friends to Christ."

She continues, "I'm still very much involved in evangelistic ministry and have just come back from Oxford University mission, which was a fabulous experience. I did a range of work there, from playing in the bar in one of the colleges - a really tough environment! - to singing a gospel song alongside a gospel presentation. To me that was just a delight and a real pinnacle when people are deciding for Christ one way or the other. I have the privilege of singing a song which can sometimes tip the balance."