Margaret Glaspy had already recorded the music on her debut album twice when she got a call from a record company. They asked her if she wanted to make an album.
So, Glaspy set off on recording the music once again, this time at the Sear Sound studio in Manhattan.
Her album changed significantly the third time around. The first had been a home demo. The second sounded better, and featured acoustic guitars and upright bass. For the official release, she plugged in with a rock trio.
The final product is called “Emotions And Math.” It's an album full of catchy electric guitar riffs.
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Glaspy says all those evolving takes helped her reach a certain confidence with her songs.
"In making the different versions of the record, it felt like we were doing cover songs because I knew them so well. "
Revisiting her songs over and over also helped her mature as a writer.
"I felt myself honing in on something for sure," she says. "There were certain songs I wrote -- 'You And I' and 'Somebody to Anybody' -- that became kind of beacons in learning about my own production tastes and songwriting sensibilities. I found something that I had been after for a long time."
“Emotions And Math” features lyrics that deal with the difficulties of romance, often with a sense of humor.
But don’t assume Glaspy’s being entirely autobiographical. In fact, when folks ask if her songs are based on personal experience, she doesn't say a word.
"I feel like I did my job in terms of writing the songs. The most thing I’m excited about is hearing other people's associations to them. That’s the real magic to me."
Check back soon for videos from our OpenAir session with Margaret Glaspy.
