 with good intentions, something you're probably familiar with, but it's on her new album. And the reason this is on her new album is because the album has been a while in the making. The album is just out. It's called Matters of the Heart. In fact, I think it's officially released today. And no better woman to tell us more is Maria herself. Good afternoon, John Breslin. Thanks for having me. No problem. Thanks for coming in and taking some time out. She's busy at home. It's a busy house, busy house. Two small kids. Yes. Ages. Almost nine weeks and 20 months old. And then we have the teenagers then. So it could be more bother with them. Yeah, absolutely. But in theory, they should be able to listen and understand whatever the two small ones. So you have your hands full. Aye, but all good. As I say, full of love and cuddles. It's wonderful. Great. And a new album now to get behind and to promote and move forward with. And as I said, it's been a while in the making. It's sort of conceived during COVID. It was, well, I actually created the fund it for it. The crowd fund me in early of 2020. And I had, I think maybe about February or January. And it was next thing, COVID hit. And like coming to the end of it didn't reach the target of the fund it when the COVID hit. So there was a panic station on and we kind of, a couple of us gathered a lock of pound together to make up the end of it. And then she went into lockdown. So originally what the album was gonna have on it had changed then through the course of this last three years because of different things happening. But yeah, we did record initially a couple of tracks when kind of things opened up a little. And then, you know, things would close down again. And then I fell in love and I had babies. What going on? What going on. And a big part then was I cared for my mum. My mum sadly passed away last November. So different things, a lot. So the album has completely kind of changed because there's song, there's a song about mum. There's a song about dad. There's a song about falling in love. And all those things hadn't happened at the beginning. So yeah, it's. So in a way an album reflects where an artist is at any given time or where their head is. Definitely for me, this one is understandable how things changed over those few years. Yeah, yeah. And you said you were in and out of the studio. So the studio in question down in Remelton with Billy Robinson and you've gathered up a collection of really fine musicians. Yeah, Billy has the best people to work with. Like obviously he is just outstanding himself as a bass player and a producer and everything else that he can do. But yeah, Mick McCarney played a big role in this album like Frankincense. That track he did the arrangements for that. But he played guitar on most of the tracks. Now he does remind me that I played some guitar on Lucy's Lullaby, which you can probably tell that it's me and not Mick. But then, yeah, we have Patter Call from Fintown playing fiddle into my eyes. And I just, oh, Patter just blows my mind. Romick Parrell and Lawrence Doherty on drums. But he also made a contact with Matt Benson who I wasn't familiar with his name. He's from Ross Trevor. He's a trombone player. And Billy, as Billy does, just knows these people. He's like, hi, he's George Ezra's trombone player. And I was like, what? Are you serious? So then I started looking at it. I was like, yeah, the map has been playing with George from the beginning and still touring with him. So I, like he can imagine what I was like on this. But it's great to be able to pull in these talented musicians and not just talented musicians, but also, you know, different instruments to bring. And Billy, I suppose, as a producer, is able to take a more detached for you and go, you know what I think might work on this. Well, that's, and I leave everything really to Billy because like there's nobody has better ears or, you know, ideas than him. And like, you know, sometimes I might say something and then I'll know the look I'll get from Billy. And I go, now, do you know what, Billy? You just decide. So like, he knew, yeah, that like for that song that the trombone is on, it's like, he says, I can hear, you know, I think that there's going to be fantastic. And he was right. Like it's just perfect. And then we've Sean McCarron on saxophone on how sweet it is. Actually, there's supposed to be a big part of that. Their band, Quarterdeck is the band that's playing, you know, on this album now, which is pretty wonderful. And then not forgetting, Pat Crowley on piano, Laura McFadden on cello and my backing vocalist, Rachel, Jonathan and Jack Smeaton. I really am just so, so thankful to all of them, you know, for, for, for playing and being fabulous. We were chatting there about Billy and Mick and speaking of talented guitarists, the week that's in it, it would be remiss to me and you really, not to mention, now the late Ted Ponsonby. Yeah. It was a shock, it was a big shock. It was a shock. It was Jimmy Stafford messaged me and let me know and I was just so shocked and like I shared a story that, you know, people didn't know about, but you know, you play my song, Downtown and you play it regularly. But when I was 16, I worked in the Downtown. This is all a true story. And on a Wednesday night, Ted Ponsonby and other musicians would be playing on a Wednesday night. Like I was in awe, you know, because I knew who Ted Ponsonby was and then there wouldn't be a Wednesday night that would go by that Ted wouldn't ask me up to sing. And I sure I thought I was flicking unreal because like Ted played with the best and he gave me so much confidence. And on top of that, he took his time out and he taped a song for me to learn that he would accompany me with then every Wednesday night. So I couldn't wait till I would get the nod from Ted Ponsonby. So I have a lot to thank him for... A superbly talented musician who stayed local and played local and, you know, and as a result, we were able to enjoy so many of his performances. Yeah, like Shemi Quinn shared a couple of videos there late last night of him playing with Sarah Cullen, Rory Freel, and Tommy Callahan and Blake's. And I have to say, I watched it this morning and it was one of... There was nothing compares to you and someone, or Al McCabe in a comment, nothing compared to Ted Ponsonby. And I think that was a really, really great comment. And like it's so sad and like the condolences to Marilyn and Sarah and Dawn and all the family, like we're just... I can't imagine how they feel. We're all heartbroken. Now, going back to the album, and you no doubt delighted with the results because sometimes you don't know, you know, you can see the ideas and you know, compose the songs and then you have to wait and see how it all turns out in the studio. And sometimes the case of you going in and doing your bits and then having to wait to hear what comes back. Aye, it's funny, you know, the one of the tracks found on Cannibal's. I wrote that song actually on New Year's Eve of 2020. I remember it was, I was staying, I was looking after mum. And like when we recorded it initially back at the first opening up when we could, do you know what, I came away from it. Like, I don't know, I don't know if that's the sound that I was looking for with that track or not, you know. And it's actually one of my favourite on the album now. Being really, I just adore it. So exactly what you say, you record things, you come away from it, you don't know, oh, is it? But also a skill that I think Billy has is like where he pits the tracks in order on an album as well. It's a very, very important thing, you know, and how they jail in with one another. And especially when they're different styles as they are on this album. That's a hand-in that he has with me. You know, that I don't, like, everything is, can I jump from genre to genre, but... OK, brother in the guitar, we've played one well-known song from the album. The best-known song, kind of from the album. So what other song are you going to play? Do you want me to do one from the album? That would be great. Well, yeah. That's cool. Do you know what I might do? I wasn't going to do this, but I have to give a really massive shout out to one of the co-writers of one of the songs is Jennifer McGee, Jennifer's from Flocara. Right. And Jennifer asked me would I write a song with her, and it's called Queen of the Town. And I know herself and her mum and dad are listening in today. So I just want to thank Jennifer so much. I actually named the album Matters of the Heart from a lyric of her song as well. So, and I hope that Jennifer will join me at the album launch and all that crack to sing it with me, but I hear. Let me get the guitar. Absolutely. What do I do with the capo? We'll go with it this way to be grand. OK, this is Queen of the Town. Totally not the album version, it's just that. But anyway, be grand. The acoustic version. The acoustic version. Stop, you need to listen. I've got feelings the same as you. You might see me as different, but I fall just as hard as true. Well, maybe if you stood in my shoes, you were quick to run, took some time to consider my heart before your friends on me, out of yours, adding too much to ask for. Especially for Jennifer. Thank you. Brilliant. And a great example, I suppose, of in some way the style. I know that I mentioned earlier that there's different styles on the album, but if something represented the album, then I think that's a great track. Excellent. And it's out now. It matters of the heart. When will the official launch be? Well, we're going to do an official night in December. We're just to kind of close in on a date. I've been in touch with Jeremy and the regional culture centre this time. I wanted to support the regional culture centre because they did so much for artists in lockdown. So I give Jeremy the shout, and he said yes. So that'll be good. So as far as you mean Spotify and iTunes and all that, it's up there. Well, it was going up there shortly. It's going up shortly. I put it up in Bandcamp. Right. First of all, I emailed it to all the fund funders during the week, because that was the promise that they would get it before anybody else. And then I emailed all you good guys then. And thank you so much. So next are the streaming platforms. Yeah, we're just holding off them. Did you ever hear, do you know the wee tiny pocket you get at the top of your jeans pocket there? Do you have jeans on you? For, no, but for change? Yeah, no, it's the money you get from Spotify. Ah! It's a Spotify copy. It needs to be smaller than the regular pocket. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, so we'll just hold off on them once. OK. Well, listen, it's brilliant that it's turned out the way it is. And I know it's it's been a while in the making, but it's out now and it's called Matters of the Heart. Maria McCormick, thank you very much. Thank you so much.