Discover Emotional Depths and Celestial Heights in Sharon Lia Band’s Expanse
The music industry is touting the “return of rock” and perhaps we realized we need our passionate rock anthems, our emotional release, our prayers for surviving the dark nights of the soul. Sharon Lia Band’s EXPANSE — a sci-fi cinematic andsymphonic journey “to the stars above and within” – may be just the ticket to exploring the vast unknown realms of destiny, celebrating the splendor of love and raw passion. This is epic music for navigating the challenging torrents of life. Sharon Lia Band is often likened to Nightwish, Delain, and Evanescence, while uniquely positive and life-affirming in their songwriting.
With the launch on August 30 of the Sharon Lia Band’s new double album Expanse, Sharon Lia’s vocals and piano drive the drums and burning electric guitars to deliver eleven epic Philadelphia-original rock anthems. Three early singles introduced this adventurous magnum opus: the first single, “Love You Forever” (3:59) has enough soaring vocals and piano to sustain the world; the second single “Invisible” (4:35) deals with doubting the heart’s own feelings of acceptance and recognition. The third single “I Will Wait” (4:06)–released on August 2–is a sci-fi anthem about devotion, always strong and sturdy, surviving against the seemingly impossible odds of sustaining perfect love.
Expanse includes a rock version of each song, lyrical symphonic versions, and additional instrumental arrangements that will delight the prog rock lovers in all of us. A collectible physical product is available, containing two-CDs and a colorful booklet with all the lyrics and inspirational graphic art designed by the multi-talented band leader, Sharon Lia.
Lia is the songwriter, pianist, she plays the strings, performs as vocalist and with the backup vocalists; she is the co-producer, she created the visual/graphic design for all the packaging, and acts as the all around multimedia designer. Rick Jannotti is the co-producer, engineer, doing the mixing and mastering, playing guitar, and contributing as songwriter. They are joined by Rhod Miller on bass (Rhod has played with Lauryn Hill, also Kindred The Family Soul), Steve Collucci on drums, Howie Gordon on additional keys, Vika Hunter can be heard on the background vocals on “Invisible,” and Matt Dunn also contributes additional keyboards.
Opening with wonderfully strange cosmic darkness, the first track is an instrumental with a hidden message in Morse code, “The Expanse” (1:00). This sets the project’s tone, embracing the mysteries of the limitless future and exploring the farthest reaches of the imagination. The second track, “Find Something To Believe In” (5:00) emerges strong and confident, there is nothing you shouldn’t dare to dream of, continuing to confront doubt and learning to process anger and accept destiny. “Blue Skies” (4:35) seems to be about standing up against doubt, putting a positive interpretation on any situation, and always finding the beauty in the world. “Risk It All” (6:14) brings a bit of a darker feeling, honestly confessing a hazardous passion, bursting forth with musical and vocal strength. “Feel It In My Bones” (4:45) combines burning guitars with delicate harp-like notes to create a rich and exotic healing vibe.
Triumphantly standing against darkness and danger, the climax is “The Light” (5:30), a song of praise for universal love and warmth coming down from the sun and radiating from deep within the heart. From the dawn of our existence, the human spirit has been able to overcome adversity, while still dreaming of the great beyond. The messages of Expanse include some of the hardest yet most important things to talk about: doubt and frustration, pure love, positive responses to challenges, and building emotional strength. With Expanse, four years in the making, the Sharon Lia Band’s new album inspires us to be bold and brave, opening to love and connection without hesitation, and – even as we rock out – to embrace the light.
Add Expanse to your Playlist here
Disc 1
- The Expanse (01:00)
- Find Something To Believe In (05:00)
- I Will Wait (04:06)
- Invisible (04:36)
- Love You Forever (03:59)
- Blue Skies (04:33)
- Risk It All (06:15)
- I Will Remember (Live Out Loud) (05:14)
- Feel It In My Bones (04:45)
- Put It On My Heart (04:35)
- The Light (05:30)
Disc 2
- Love you Forever (Symphonic Version) (03:59)
- Invisible (Symphonic Version) (04:36)
- I Will Wait (Symphonic Version) (03:58)
- Risk It All (Symphonic Version) (05:41)
- The Light (Symphonic Version) (05:29)
- Find Something To Believe In (Instr.) (05:00)
- I Will Wait (Instrumental Version) (04:06)
- Invisible (Instrumental Version) (04:36)
- Love you Forever (Instrumental Version) (03:59)
- Blue Skies (Instrumental Version) (04:33)
- Risk It All (Instrumental Version) (06:14)
- I Will Remember (Live Out Loud) (instr.) (05:14)
- Feel It In My Bones (Instr.) (04:45)
- Put It On My Heart (Instr.) (04:35)
- The Light (Instrumental Version) (05:30)
