Jonatha Brooke's Midnight.Halleluja, Set for October 21 Release

In 2010, after releasing eleven solo albums to ever-growing acclaim, beloved singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke put her career on hold to care for her mother, who suffered from dementia. Midnight. Hallelujah., her first new studio recording since her 2008 album The Works.

Following her mother’s passing in 2012 Brooke developed a one-woman musical, My  Mother Has Four Noses,  based on the experience, which ran Off-Broadway in New York City to rave reviews. Now, on October 21, Brooke will release

Produced by Brooke along with Mark Hornsby, Phil Naish, and Eric Bazilian, the songs on Midnight. Hallelujah. touch on themes of faith, love, and addiction:

"This album is down to the bone for me. I'm grappling with spiritual crisis on songs like "Mean Looking Jesus" and "Midnight Hallelujah.." My years shepherding my mother through the darkest valleys forced me to face down my own mortality, my fears and anger. And yet I'm still talking to her on "Light Years." There's redemption here too. Love really does triumph in the end. "Really Really Love" and "You and I" are the happiest most uptempo songs I've ever ventured! And then songs like "Alice" and "Put the Gun Down" are the most topical personal songs I've written in quite a while. Given the political climate these days, I just couldn't avoid having an opinion."
Primarily recorded at Sweetwater Studios in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Brooke expanded her sonic pallet dramatically for this album utilizing banjo, clarinets, ukeleles, accordions, cuattro and a whistle solo for the first time. Legendary jazz pianist Joe Sample guests on the album:

"Joe's Wurlitzer part on "Really Really Love" was one of the last things he and I did together before he passed. We were working on our musical Quadroon at the time, and I had this little inkling of the song. He created a loop out of a thigh slap rhythm, threw down the Wurly and we caught a vibe. I ended up building the entire track around that demo."

Brooke has been writing songs, making records and touring since the early 90's. After four major label releases, she started her own independent label, Bad Dog Records in 1999, and has since released seven more albums. She has recently co-written songs with Katy Perry for her album PRISM, and with The Courtyard Hounds. She's written for four Disney films, various television shows, and composed the theme song for Joss Whedon's Dollhouse. Brooke is also working on two other musical projects - Quadroon, with Joe Sample; and (working title) Switched, with playwright Geoffrey Nauffts, and director Sheryl Kaller.

"I certainly didn't expect to find myself in the musical theater world. But after writing and performing my show My Mother has 4 Noses it felt imperative to keep working in that medium. So many of my songs are like character studies, and most importantly, I never want to repeat myself!"

Track Listing For Midnight Hallelujah

1. Put The Gun Down
2. Hashtag Lullaby
3. Light Years
4. You And I
5. Mean Looking Jesus
6. I've Got Nothing
7. Midnight. Hallelujah.
8. Too Much Happiness
9. Alice
10. Nothing Hurts Like Love Hurts
11. Really Really Love