Oracle

'The Oracle' is Joy Shannon and the Beauty Marks' fifth studio album and their most raw and stripped down to date. Recorded with producer Brian Frederick at Secret Hill Studios in Long Beach, CA with special guests the Dovelles and Jon Zell, this album sees Shannon owning what she does best. Shannon composes on Celtic harp, cello and vocals and brings in her 'Beauty Marks' to add varied, moody atmosphere with stand-up bass by Andy Zacharias, gypsy guitar by Luca Pino, acoustic guitar by Jimmy Paul and electric guitar by Jon Zell. While past albums like 2011's 'Out of My Dreams and Into My Arms' have explored combining Shannon's Celtic harp with a driving rock beat, 'The Oracle' features only atmospheric percussion making it sound more like Shannon's Irish traditional roots. This album takes you on a journey that is both personal and mythic, with intimate songs interlaced with imagery from ancient Greek and Celtic mythology, The Lord of the Rings, Shakespeare's Hamlet and even a song about Liam Neeson.