Search - Frances England :: Explorer of the World

What if we became adventurers in our own backyards?

That s what award-winning children's singer-songwriter Frances England started
wondering, not so long ago. In an era where so many of us float through the world with our noses in our phones as the colors of our neighborhoods slide past in a blur, England imagined a joyful antidote. It starts by simply looking around, and noticing all the little wonders that abound. Things like the music of raindrops pattering on pavement, or the
shadow-patterns that fences paint upon the ground.

This is the curiosity that lights up Explorer of the World, England's fifth album for families. Written for the kid in all of us, but with a special nod to those aged 4 to 12, these ten fresh and playful tracks pay homage to the everyday treasures all around us: from handwritten notes fluttering on the sidewalk ("All the Things I Found") to sunlight lacing itself through leaves ("See What We Can See").

This theme of exploration informs every aspect of the album, starting with the genesis of the songs themselves. "I decided to shake up my songwriting process," England says. "I've always started with chord progressions and melodies and I really wanted to open
that up. So instead of starting with the chords of a guitar or piano, I started making melodies over the sounds of my city."

For two years England took walks around San Francisco and, with a handheld
microphone, recorded an array of sounds she'd never really paid much attention to
before. The bucket drum that kickstarts "Street Life" was played by a street
performer on Market Street, then looped throughout the track. The ambient urban
sounds of "City Don't Sleep" were recorded on late night walks through North Beach.
These noises - along with the beats of a couple of salvaged drum machines - would
form the vivacious foundations of the album.

To pull it all together, England asked two of her friends to co-produce the album:
GRAMMY award-winner Dean Jones (Dog on Fleas) and composer Dave Winer (Justin
Robert's Not Ready For Naptime band). Winer's catchy beats and funky horn
arrangements paired perfectly with Jones' earthy, analog sensibilities.

In gathering these sounds and songs together, Explorer of the World is nothing short of magic, a shimmering sonic journey through the undiscovered everyday - and a reminder of all the unexpected adventures that can happen, when you keep your head up and let our own curiosity lead the way.