Hannah McNeil
Franklin, Tennessee, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Over time, Hannah McNeil will no doubt read many a review and article about herself that references Hannah Montana. How can it be avoided? Like uber-popular Miley Cyrus, who plays the household-name character on TV and in movies, McNeil is a young, country-pop singer-songwriter with terrific original songs, and the delivery to make them unforgettable. With a style of writing and performing that blends the grass-roots charm of Patty Loveless with the contemporary grit of Gretchen Wilson, McNeil's self-titled debut CD is a knockout of one hook-filled tune after another. "What Am I Getting Up For" opens the album with an impassioned, up-tempo blast of identity crisis featuring a chorus tailor-made for radio. "Peace of Mind" is a fun, hip hop-influenced romp that's refreshingly literate and polished. "Celebrate Life," though, is the real standout here; like Lee Ann Womack's mega-hit, "I Hope you Dance," "Celebrate Life" combines the rarest of sing-along-worthy melodies with a message of self-empowerment and joy-of-life passion that crosses genres and generations. As surely as Hannah McNeil will have to live with references to that other Hannah for awhile, it's a safe bet that if she keeps making albums like "Hannah McNeil," soon enough McNeil will be the new standard for country singers named Hannah. - Radio Indy
DISClaimer
by Robert K. Oermann
It is independents’ day.
We are in what are known
as the dog days of summer,
when major-label releases
slow to a trickle in anticipation
of the big fall product push.
What better time for the
indies to scurry about and
make some noise?
As is generally the case in
surveying indie singles, the quality varies widely. Some sound
as good as their major-label big brothers and sisters. And
then you have the lunatic fringe, raving about everything
from politics to eating chicken. Oh, and let’s not forget
outer-space aliens.
One release here towered above all the others. That is
“What Am I Getting Up For” by Hannah McNeil. It is,
unquestionably, the Disc of the Day.
HANNAH McNEIL/What Am I Getting Up For
Writer: Hannah McNeil/Jesse Wray/Jeffrey Steele; Producer:
none listed; Publisher: Positively Platinum/Jeffrey Steele/
Wray Line, ASCAP/BMI; Spinville (www.hannahmcneil.com)
—Don’t wait for any upbeat resolution to this unrelentingly
existential lyric, because there isn’t one. Instead, you’ll revel
in the darkly atmospheric sound, exult in her inspiring vocal
and punch your fist to the driving tempo. It may be somber,
but somber has never sounded so grand and gripping. This
is one excellent little record. - Music Row Magazine
Discography
2008 LP "Hannah McNeil"
"What Am I Getting Up For" written by Hannah McNeil, Jeffry Steele and Jesse Wray has achieved airplay across the U.S. and overseas. The song reached #42 in the US, while shooting up to #1 in Ireland, #2 in Germany, and #11 overall on the ECMA chart for Europe.
Hannah's second single "I Need A Break" has recently been released and is gathering momentum across the US.
Photos
Bio
Hannah McNeil was born with the love of music. At an early age, she would sing along with the radio in the car, dumbfounding her mother…first at the fact that she knew the words and second that she could belt out a tune, in tune…when she barely knew how to walk! Born in Omaha, Nebraska, the ninth of ten children, she came into the large music loving clan of Richard McNeil and Sharon McMahon McNeil.
Her parents fostered the idea of “making a difference…everyday” by starting a homeless shelter in the Omaha community. Volunteers and donors pitched in generously to make it happen as Hannah watched and learned how important it is to be there for others who have deep needs of all kinds. This exposure sparked in Hannah the belief that she could touch people through her love and gift of music.
Shortly after graduating from college with a degree in biology Hannah began a career in pharmaceuticals. About this time she also launched her musical career when she formed a band with the wife of one of the doctors to whom she marketed pharmaceuticals.
Hannah honed her performance skills playing honkytonks, 1000+ seat venues, casinos, state and county fairs across the Midwest. In early 2006 she and her music partner/co-writer Rob Higgins invested in a recording studio and started to write catchy, mainstream songs with the intention of trying to “make a difference…everyday” in people’s lives through the music that they wrote and then performed.
Later that year Hannah decided it was time to make the move to Music City and do what she was born to do. She and her husband now live on a farm in Franklin, Tennessee.
Hannah's first single, “What Am I Getting Up For” co-written with hit maker Jeffrey Steele & Jesse Wray made it all the way to #1 in Irland, #2 in Germany, #11 overall for Europe in the ECMA chart and #42 in the US. You can feel her passion as she poses the question so many of us are wondering “What am I getting up for?” Wisely, she leaves it up to her listeners to answer that question for themselves. Hannah's catchy, all-age appropriate music offers listeners a chance to think about their purpose and their perspectives.
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