From crystalline picking to angelic songcraft, singer/songwriter Christie Lenée’s forthcoming new album reminds devout listeners and recently converted fans of her spiritual and sublime songwriting, featuring inspired lyrics and, of course, sensational guitar playing.
A Tampa native and North Carolina resident, Lenée took First Place at the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in 2017, was voted Acoustic Guitarist of the Year by England’s MusicRadar in 2019, and was named Named “Best Acoustic Guitarists in the World Right Now” by Guitar World in 2020.
Coming Alive, with its iconic guitar hooks and powerhouse vocal performances, is a giant leap forward. This time out, she decided to make everything bigger, brighter, and more electric. The first line of the first song, the title track (“I’ve got a feeling deep inside”), tells you everything you need to know: Lenée’s sixth album is a chronicle of joy and hope, of self-confidence and empowerment, of renewal and light.
Coming Alive was conceived in the heart of the pandemic. “Since I was in a quiet introversion in a log cabin in the mountains of Lake Lure,” explains Lenée, “I found that the only place I could travel was inside the journey of music.” The original plan for the album was to make a stripped-down acoustic/vocal record. “As we started getting into it,” Lenée says, “I realized there was absolutely no reason to compromise the vision of where I could hear these songs going.” The best studio musicians she knew were also off tour, so it was the perfect time to amplify the song arrangements with an arena rock heart. She even purchased her first American Strat electric guitar to accompany her cherished family of specialty 12 strings, acoustics, and electrics during the making of the album. That classic edge rock sound made the cut and became the lead tone for the iconic guitar solos on “Daylight Comes” and “Free World Citizen.”
This is also the first Lenée album where her voice feels like a lead instrument. “Since I have always led with my guitar as my first instrument,” she says, “letting the vocals take the lead was a big transition for me as an artist. It was a shift of consciousness that took place while making this album, and for that reason alone, it is like nothing I have ever recorded.”
At the pinnacle of her career so far, Lenée has been highly praised by Guitar Player Magazine, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and Guitar World, shared stages with exalted musicians such as Tommy Emmanuel, Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), and Melissa Etheridge, and has stacked up endorsements from guitar companies like Martin, Luna, Irvin, and Veillette, alongside her signature string set via Savarez Strings.
With a recent showcase slot at 2022’s Americanafest and a new album in hand, she’s ready to come alive again – right on time.
“Christie Lenée is a fine young guitar player, composer and singer whose depth is surprising in our age!”
~ Tommy Emmanuel, CGP
“Christie Lenée is a wonderful spirit making beautiful music on the guitar. She has epic compositions that take one on a journey through time.”
~ Tim Reynolds, Guitarist for Dave Matthews Band
“Watching Christie Lenée perform her solo acoustic act is like seeing a firecracker execute a high-wire circus routine while doing flips and juggling flaming bowling pins.”
~ Guitar Player Magazine
2021 – The Best Acoustic Guitarists in the World right now
~ Guitar World
Acoustic Guitarist of the Year 2019 Winner: Christie Lenée
~ MusicRadar / Guitar World
“Symphonic compositions flow from Christie Lenée’s fingertips effortlessly, with sound ranging from transcendental folk-pop to virtuosic instrumentals.”
~ PBS.com