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Singer, songwriter brings spirituality to the forefront
February 2nd, 2008
by Carol Simmons - The Dayton Daily News
Singer, songwriter brings spirituality to the forefront
By Carol Simmons The
2/2/08
As an introspective, self-reflective writer, she couldn't really avoid such an important aspect of her life. But she didn't necessarily put it out front, either.
With her forthcoming release for the prestigious independent label Rounder Records, Newcomer shifts the personal landscape a little and makes her spiritual life more public.
"The Geography of Light," due in stores this month, is the
Newcomer hopes it's the most authentic yet to her true self — as a Midwestern writer and a spiritual being.
"Something really powerful happened to my writing when I became comfortable with my voice," she said recently, speaking from her home outside
She came to value her unique perspective — her voice — over time, she said, giving increasing credence to "my authentic experience — my experience as a whole, without censoring it."
The new album's title makes reference to her dual inner and outer landscape. "'The Geography of Light' ... what is the shape of shadow and light? A lot of the album deals with those kinds of questions."
The metaphor of light is also significant within Newcomer's Quaker faith, which speaks of "walking in the light."
Newcomer translates the concept into "the light being the idea of the sacred — the sacred that permeates the world and us."
Newcomer, who is giving a portion of her album proceeds to the American Friends Service Committee (a Quaker service organization), said the recent cultural climate has compelled her to be more vocal about her spiritual life.
"Right now, we hear a lot from a particular religious voice," she said. "It doesn't speak for all us — it doesn't speak for me."
Newcomer's spiritual reality is ever present.
"If I take the time to pay attention, I see miracles everywhere," she said. "I experience it in the most ordinary of circumstances and places."