Following on from his breathtakingly beautiful single “Rainbow”, 27-year old singer songwriter, Louis Baker (Cushla Aston) shares “Fade”: another leaf out of his anticipated songbook of forthcoming music. The new song, co-written with Bradford Ellis and Jemma Cooke, is a modern throwback to the golden era of Motown balladeering, Fade is a slow-burn soul number that first sets Louis Baker’s rich, resonant voice to sparse piano, before layers of guitar, drums, keys and warm backing vocals weigh in to support his sentimental tribute to long-distance love.
The journey of “Fade” as a song began in Albert Einstein's first home in Bern, Switzerland. “After playing a small and intimate set at this apartment, and being encored 3 times, I ran out of songs so decided to make one up on the spot,” says Louis. “Perhaps his creativity sparked something in me. The following week I travelled to London and “Fade” was born.”
Reflecting on the creation process of the song, producer and co-writer, Bradford Ellis says: “It was brilliant collaborating with Louis on “Fade”. He has a timeless and extremely versatile voice and is a bloody good bloke. NZ has a habit of producing great soulful artists. Louis feels like the next.”
Praise for Louis:
“A glorious song this – sad and sparse, wise and true, with a restraint to the vocal that suits the vulnerability of the love-lorn lyric. Recorded in London with Big Brad from The Nextmen, it’s the best thing Baker has done to date, as raw and tender as a fresh wound, and when his voice swoops up to falsetto over a tangle of slowly unspooling guitar…well, no, those are not tears. I think I just got something in my eye.” – Grant Smithies, Sunday Star Times [“Rainbow”]
"To crafted songs like Birds, Back on my Feet and now his new single Rainbow, Louis Baker has brought a rare sense of persuasive intimacy and a soulful conviction where you believe every syllable he sings . . . because you know he does too. And although there is a confidence to his vocal range he also offers an emotional fragility in songs that speak to the heart. He stops me every time and makes me listen, and that is a gift." – Graham Reid, Elsewhere [“Rainbow”]
“Many soul singers might wishfully compare themselves to Marvin Gaye or Otis Redding, but for Louis Baker, the comparison is truly deserved.” – Lydia Jenkin, New Zealand Herald
Louis has been away from home over the last few months, spending considerable time in Los Angeles for writing sessions with fellow songwriters, and more recently attending ASCAP’s Songwriter Retreat – a prestigious songwriting camp held at the Château Marouatte castle in Southern France during the latter half of September. Previous attendees have included Ellie Goulding, James Bay, Mika, Mike Posner, Dougy Mandagi (The Temper Trap) and Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s) to name a few. The remainder of the year is looking bright for the young singer songwriter, as he plans to release more fresh material into the new year.