The Breakdown of a Breakup

Terry Radigan is singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, whose career spans over twenty years. You've probably heard her work before, whether you realized it or not. Her songs have been recorded by musical giants such as Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, Pam Tillis, and Trisha Yearwood, among others.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Terry emerged onto the music scene at a relatively young age; at age 23, she entered and won a music songwriting contest at The Bitter End, a landmark NYC club. In the late eighties, she joined a band  -- Grace Pool -- to replace Shawn Colvin, and things took off from there. The alternative/folk quartet released two albums to critical acclaim.

Terry's debut solo album, Radigan, was released in 2000. She had recorded the album in the attic of  her Nashville,Tennessee home, and is featured playing banjo, madolin, autoharp, guitar and piano. It was positively reviewed by several sources, including Rolling Stone, Billboard, and People.

Her latest album, THE BREAKDOWN OF A BREAKUP, came after the unexpected breakup of a twenty-year relationship. With this album, Terry tackles the pain and emotional upheaval of this breakup, examining it through her songs with titles such as: "Mistake"; "Love Wouldn't Lie to Me"; "The Truth"; "Not Giving Up on Love".

Denial. Anger. Sadness. The ability to be empowered and move on. Each of these stages of  the breakup of a relationship is dealt with by Terry on her new album in a variety of song styles: pop, rock, country, alternative. Songwriting helps her heal from the tumultous breakup, and Terry's soulful, often raspy voice is backed by powerful guitars, powerful horns bringing to mind the vocal stylings of Shawn Colvin, Aimee Mann, Pink Martini, Carole King.

For a sampling of her sound and the songs on this latest release, you can link here or here.

To gain an understanding of Terry's thoughts and feelings throughout this difficult time period, you can see how they translated into the lyrics of her songs.

I have a real fondness for the track "Mistake" -- it is reminiscent of a Klezmer tune with a playful feel to the music --  and the lyrics are in-your-face blunt.

The album’s purpose isn’t just to recount the pain of a relationship that has soured or been severed, but also to show that there is life after love. As Terry comments in the album’s liner notes, “It's not so much the story of the relationship itself as it is the roller coaster of emotions that follow in the aftermath…It was a bit like being put through a washing machine - with an extended spin cycle. Wrung out but cleansed and ready to go..."

Terry's album, being released on her own label, Catherine the Great Records, will be available on all digital download sources, such as iTunes, and Amazon. Ironically, this exploration of love and loss is slated for release on February 14th, the most romantic day of the year.