Deborah Rose adapts an Eva poem into a song

An unrecorded Eva Cassidy poem is being released by singer Deborah Rose. She took a giant leap of faith in 2009, leaving the safety of a steady job as external relations manager at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre to pursue her burning ambition, inspired by her heroine Eva Cassidy. It paid off. Within months she was singing at the Isle of Wight Festival then, by a strange twist of fate, Eva Cassidy’s brother, Dan, ended up jamming with her in her kitchen in Droitwich, Worcestershire. As a result, Deborah met Eva’s parents and sought their blessing to put one of their daughter’s unknown poems to music.

At the Isle of Wight Festival she met a harpist from America and we talked of our love of Eva Cassidy. ‘He told me about Eva’s brother Dan, who is a violinist. I decided there and then I wanted to go and hear him because I knew it would have as much soul and beauty as Eva’s voice. But, by some strange coincidence, I got an email from my agent saying “I don’t know if this is of interest but Dan Cassidy is coming to the Isle of Wight to perform and I’m having coffee with him.” Even more amazing was that he wanted to perform in Worcester and Birmingham and was looking for someone to help promote his shows. Having done a lot of commercial and PR work, I jumped at the chance to help him. Soon after, he came over from Iceland (where he lives), drove to my house in Droitwich and we jammed in my kitchen with his friend playing the banjo!’

 It wasn’t long before Deborah met Eva and Dan’s parents, who had come over from America. She said: ´To hear stories about Eva and what her inspirations were, was an amazing, magical experience.’ Dan Cassidy has played violin on Deborah’s debut album, which is due to be released later this year. The working title is Song Be My Soul, which takes some of its lyrics from a Welsh song meaning ‘Sing all day and sing all night’, which is basically what I do,’ Deborah told the Birmingham Post. ‘I’m really excited to be singing Eva Cassidy’s poem ‘Springtime’. I found the poem in a CD sleeve and sought the blessing of her parents to set it to music. It’s the first time one of her poems as been set to music. It captures the essence of her, being all about the beauty of flowers and the simple things in life. A local composer, Ian King, wrote the music and I sang the song.’

Springtime

Isn’t it a miracle that crocuses bloom?
And you can banish cat hair with a sweep of a broom?
And that daffodils and children have the same kind of smile?
And you can take off your shoes and splash in water for a while?
That you can hear angels in the cooing of a dove,
Or give a person something, simply out of love,
And that God will paint colors on the clouds for us to see
And that we can watch together, you standing next to me.

Eva Cassidy (1963 – 1996)

Inspired by a Masters degree she is completing at Worcester University, Deborah is also recording an album featuring the works of Shakespeare, Tennyson, Dickens, Blake and Christina Rossetti. Eva Cassidy is in good company!