Marisa Yeaman's Debut Album 'Pure Motive' has been a labor of love from it's conception. Marisa is a confessional songwriter who offers her truth in words and music to share with her audience.

After nearly ten years in the business, the recording of 'Pure Motive' feels like the beginning for this artist who already has an extensive catalogue of songs.

At her third ever live performance she was voted Runner Up in the "Australian Female Roots Vocalist of the Year" awards. She was playing solo around the pubs and clubs of Melbourne for a couple of years and released two EP's, before forming a backing band. Marisa set about forging a solid name for herself in the live scene over the next few years, another EP followed, but the course had changed. Marisa began being noticed by the corporate music industry, but the fashion of the times saw them more focused on manufacturing artists instead of celebrating originality. Frustrated by pressure to dumb down, and 'Pop' up, Marisa withdrew to focus back on what motivated her to make music in the first place. A Pure Motive.

She returned to playing solo and set about doing things her own way again. After three years and a search for the right producer, she realised that when it came to producing her debut album, she was the best person for the job.

In her chance meeting with Andrew Pendlebury she found a musical ally. Andrew performed on an acoustic track on Marisa's last EP recorded in 1999. The pair have performed some shows together since that time. They began to collaborate, finding each adopting a 'no rules' approach brought out something special. Four of the resulting tracks are included on 'Pure Motive'. In the course of recording demos, one day while jamming, they had the tape running, and what was captured was the spontaneous writing of the track which became Gasoline & Fire. That recording was only ever intended as a sketch, Marisa playing accordion and Andrew on guitar. They liked the result so much that the original recording has gone on to be included on the album. Andrew was the obvious choice of guitarists for the album.

Marisa wanted to make an acoustic album which captured the passion that exists in live performance when great players perform from the heart and without the sterilisation which happens to most recordings these days. It's an album of music driven by the soul and not by market forces. To engineer the record, Marisa chose to work with Colin Wynn who had been Marisa's live sound engineer over many years. He understood the direction Marisa wanted to go, and set about helping her to achieve it. They would work from a small studio behind some shops in Richmond. It was cramped at times, but that only added to the warm atmosphere that graces the recording.

The players Marisa picked to work with are testament to the depth of talent which exists in the Melbourne music scene. Some of the names who graced this recording were Ed Bates, Ron Tabuteau, Matthew Vehl, Bon Krunic, Dean Addison, Colin Wynn, Marcus Goodwin. Blues Legend Dave Steel also made a guest appearance. The studio was a buzz with enthusiasm as the project progressed, each player adding another facet to the gem this recording was evolving to be.

The album weaves a rich tapestry of emotive songs, at times illustrated with just a guitar and a voice and with room to breathe and resonate. Other tracks include a full palette of root- based instrumentation, but at all times the strength of the songs is left to shine through.

'Pure Motive' has many stand outs. Each track is unique and has been musically treated like an individual, but there is no mistaking the trademark of Marisa's distinct and mature sound. The album has a depth that shows that Marisa has reached this point through experience. It is the sound of an artist who has found her creative feet against the tide and lives to tell.

Some highlights include 'Solid ground', a quirky take on Bob Dylan and his dismissal of the worship which surrounds him. 'No fences' speaks of Marisa's childhood spent travelling with her family around Australia. 'Lonely Puppet' which Marisa wrote on the piano. She invited Matthew Vehl to play this track on the recording and the song was performed live, in one take. It was only the second time the song had ever been played through in it's entirety by the pair. It's beauty is in it's sheer honesty.

We hope you enjoy listening to the record as much as Marisa and the musicians enjoyed making it!