Anne Trenning | Watching For Rain

“I am always watching the horizon, not just for rain, but for whatever is coming next. There is a change in the air for the whole world, and I wanted this collection of songs to communicate the hope for constructive transformation. Water is one of life’s essentials, and I feel the same way about music. At times it simply washes over me, and other times I completely immerse myself in the blessing it has to offer. Music, like rain, suffuses the world in beneficent grace.”

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Instrumental pianist Anne Trenning titled her third recording Watching For Rain, as a metaphor indicating a time of hopeful anticipation. “As our world continues to face the challenges of economy, war and the environment, we find ourselves looking toward new opportunities, for rain to come and refresh the earth, and for growth and positive change to occur.”

I was listening to the these musicians while making this CD…
Calobo, Buddy and Julie Miller, The Subdudes, Willis Alan Ramsey, Sophie Milman, Loggins and Messina, Dip Ferell and the Truetones, Travis Tritt, Hal Ketchum, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, Trisha Yearwood, YoYo Ma and Friends, The Allman Brothers, Jimmy Thackery, Tres Chicas, Fleetwood Mac, The Bodeans, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Nickel Creek, Bruce Horsby, Buddy Greene, Vince Gill, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dixie Chicks, Sarah McLachlan, Peter Gabriel, Tuck & Patti, Mindy Smith

Some of my favorite writers are…
Ron Rash, Lee Smith, Celia Rivenbark, Dave Barry, Garrison Keillor, Robert Morgan, Charles Frazier, Kaye Gibbons, Pam Houston, David Sedaris

Some of my favorite Charlotte restaurants are…
Harper's, The Pizza Peel, John's Country Kitchen, Dish, Revolution, Eddie's Place, Dolce, Mimosa Grill, The Diamond, 131 Main, Pewter Rose, Amelie's Bakery, Foskoskie's, Intermezzo, Great Harvest Bread Co., Nova's Bakery, Gus Sir Beef, The Flying Biscuit, Lulu's, Pike's Soda Shop, Rooster's, Simmons, The Penguin, Manzetti's, Cuisine Malaya, Leo's Deli, The Roasting Company, House of Pizza, and K&W Cafeteria!

Trenning explains, “In a broader sense, it seems many of us are hoping for our world to enter a period of healing; we want to be part of a cleansing transformation — which is why I chose the analogy of rain. I wanted the music on this album to reflect new beginnings, and to offer emotional encouragement during this time of anticipation and hope.”

Watching for Rain contains ten originals plus the Welsh folk melody “The Ash Grove,” the traditional spiritual “I Want To Be Ready,” the modern gospel “H. I. A. T. W.,” the Don Schlitz-Paul Overstreet country classic “When You Say Nothing At All” and a 37-second benediction-like coda of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.” Trenning also offers a new arrangement of the Celtic-spirited “Eden Hall” that originally appeared on her first recording. Her new material ranges from the grand and stately “The Welcome Song” (featuring a piano-cello-violin trio) to the Americana minuet-feel of “Carolina Moon.” “You and Me” is about the evolving nature of relationships. “A Prayer for the World” is both reverent and soulful.

Anne Trenning's CDs can be purchased at major online stores such as amazon.com and cdbaby.com, or at a variety of digital download locations such as iTunes and Rhapsody. Audio clips and links to purchase CDs are also on the CD's page.

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

— Langston Hughes