Penelope Queen - I'd Rather Be Naked

I'd Rather Be Naked (TWI 1152) is the debut album by Penelope Queen, a young French singer-songwriter, produced by cult pop polymath Isabelle Antena.

Written and recorded between 2010 and 2013, the album features 13 original songs by Penelope, together with a cover of Silly Things, the heartbreaking ballad originally recorded by Antena on Camino Del Sol, their debut for Crépuscule back in 1983. Also written in the south of France, Penelope's own new album captures many of the same moods, sometimes insouciant, sometimes bittersweet.

"Through my writing," says Penelope, "I try to tell about my life - as a young woman, a mother, a lover and a friend, hoping that other people feel good and happy listening to my songs. I chose to realize this first album quite simply, at home, recording with my mother, Isabelle Antena. We used only real instruments to make the sound as natural as possible. We also deliberately kept the sounds of guitar strings, breaths and floaty in-between beats in several songs (like Says the Rain), to convey a feeling of intimacy and nakedness."

"At my first concert I was so terrified, I didn't want to go on stage. My mother told me, 'If you imagine the people in the audience naked it'll help you relax.' To which I replied, 'I'd rather be naked in front of them than sing in front of them. It would be less terrifying!' And that's how the album title was found."

Tracklist:

1. Drawn
2. L.O.L
3. Just Lay
4. Little One
5. Speechless
6. Who's My Daddy
7. Silly Things
8. My Garden
9. Says the Rain
10. Heart Beat
11. That Thing, That Voice
12. Girls Don't Cry
13. Ms Nobody
14. When Spring Arrives

Out 2 September 2013 via LTM Mailorder.