Beth Nielsen Chapman CD Feted At SESAC

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s ET Brown, Lydia Schultz, artist Ruby Amanfu, Beth Nielsen Chapman, producer Sam Ashworth, SESAC EVP and CFO Kelli Turner, SESAC VP of Creative Shannan Hatch, and manager Sharon Corbitt-House

The release party for Beth Nielsen Chapman’s new Hearts of Glass album was staged at SESAC on Wednesday, April 11.

This is the first CD that Chapman has released since she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her prior works include “Strong Enough to Bend,” “This Kiss,” “Nothin’ I Can Do About It Now,” “Happy Girl,” “Sand and Water,” “Five Minutes,” “Here We Are” and “You Say You Will.”

“We had a lot of fun making this record,” said Chapman of her new collection. “We picked some old songs that had been through other incarnations…that I always wanted to do my version of.”

One of those that she performed at the event is the album’s philosophical “Old Church Hymns and Nursery Rhymes,” originally recorded by Waylon Jennings in 1990. Among the new tunes she sang is the sunny “Enough for Me,” which she co-wrote with Sam Ashworth. He produced the album.

Ashworth joined her in performance on guitar and backup vocals. On percussion and backup vocals was Ruby Amanfu, whose credits include CDs by Beyonce, Jack White and Bruce Cockburn.

The other selections performed ranged from the melodic ballad “You’re Still My Valentine” to the jaunty “Come to Mine.”

The release party for Hearts of Glass marked the first time that Chapman had been in the new SESAC edifice.

“What a thrill to see this beautiful building,” she said. “I can’t wait to see where my office is.”

The release party was attended by a number of her fellow singer-songwriters, including Gail Davies, Bill Lloyd, Mary Gauthier and Chris Scruggs.

Beth Nielsen Chapman will showcase on the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday, April 14.