Details of
Little Stray Heart
by Nellen Dryden


Producer: Jules Belmont, Nellen Dryden
Engineer: Josh Hahn
Recorder At: The Relic Room (NYC)
Mastered By: Jamal Ruhe


About the Album

Coping with the loss of dear family and friends over the past years while carving out a life in NYC, Dryden came to write many of the songs in her current show and debut LP. "Little Stray Heart," the title track off her debut album is a a remake from an earlier recording on an EP released in 2015. It is a lush composition chronicling a 'drifter' on a wandering path. Baritone guitar is ever present on this track and many others throughout the album. 

Other characters include upright bass, pedal steel, organ, Wurlitzer, goat hooves, worm cocoon shakers, a deep Black beauty/Ludwig snare drum and soaring soulful vocals all recorded on vintage Fender amps and microphones. The listener/fan-proclaimed single erupts later in the album, track 8, "Me and My Buffalo Bill". This alt-country ear-worm was inspired by Dryden's family history. Her great grandmother was born in Deadwood, South Dakota and spoke of riding with Buffalo Bill in one of his Wild West show. The story's lyrics are re-interpreted through the main characters eyes as a woman longing to find the one in perhaps a lover named 'My Buffalo Bill’. Dryden wrote the song and plays organ and harmonica on the track, guitars and pedal steel were done by Jules Belmont (also co-producer on the record), Drums were by Jake Edwards (Lux DeLuxe) and upright Bass provided by Rhees Williams (Jamie Kent, Michaela Anne). Edwards, Belmont and Williams all grew up together playing music in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, while Belmont and Dryden met while playing together in a blues band at Sarah Lawrence College.

The rollicking, honky-tonk-ish 'Heart Moves' is a dance anthem for all the barn-dance wallflowers out there and Nellen's stab at a country songwriting. 'Part of You' was written about a friend lost last year. Nellen had her friend and puppeteer make a video for it, which can be found here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALcgMD9cJmw