Bic Runga - Birds / Say After Me

Bic Runga's first two albums Drive and Beautiful Collision are collectively 18 times Platinum and both entered the New Zealand Chart at #1. Her third album Birds released in the UK on 8th May is her third consecutive #1 album and is already certified platinum.

Female singer songwriters dominated the charts in 2005 with the overnight success of KT Tunstall, Katie Melua's outstanding record sales and the long overdue return of Kate Bush. Bic Runga might well be the success story of 2006, her first two albums received huge critical acclaim in the UK and her last album "Beautiful Collision" was hailed as one of the best album of the year in Mojo and Uncut in their end of year round ups as did Sunday Times Culture in 2004.

Bic who is of half Chinese and Maori descent, has an amazing talent for penning beautifully haunting love songs and she has also taken the role of producer on "Birds". The album was recorded over a month in Auckland in an 18th century listed building, were she concentrated on capturing the elusive magic of 'live takes' with up to ten singers and musicians recoded in a room at one time.

Bic's approached harked back to jazz recordings of the 50's and beyond to create a natural intimacy between instruments and voices. Neil Finn (Crowded House) also played a big part in this album, he is featured vocalist, played piano, guitar, psalterian and vibraphone and arranged strings alongside Tom Rainey. Bic mix the album in London with Simon Gogerly, renowned for his work with Nellie Hooper and artist such as Rolling Stones and U2.

The result is a superb distillation of Bic Runga's incredible songwriting talent and her firm grasp on the universal language of romance. Undercurrents of subtle melancholy, in songs like the breath taking and spacious "Captured", country influenced "No Crying No More" and the classic debut single "Say After Me" released the 8th May.