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There's a lot more to music than just music... "People are on the road to self-discovery." says Annette. "The evidence is obvious in our everyday lives, in bookstores, in the media and with movie topics. Music is evolving in a similar direction. People seek enlightenment through deeper emotions and crave meaningful content. I want my music to make a difference in people's lives, to help them feel good about themselves and the world around them." As you can see, this recording artist known simply as Annette realizes what a powerful tool her music can be. This is a quest to create music that feeds her soul and connects with those who listen. Annette's newest album "deeper" has all the creative elements required to inspire. She invites people of all ages to come, listen and see. An eleven-song creation, "deeper" is album number three for Annette. Its release follows on the heels of the charitable work Annette is doing on behalf of The Possible Dream Foundation, Inc., a non-profit non-sectarian organization dedicated to the care and nurturing of children and adults with Down Syndrome and related medical complications. It's been a wonderful journey, and it's only begun... Annette is an Italian immigrant and comes from a large musical family of seven. She has early childhood memories of her father playing the mandolin and accordion. Many of her siblings are musicians. Annette's musical history includes singing in choirs, madrigal groups and a cappella. At age 16, she toured with "The Kids from Wisconsin" ensemble. Annette worked her way through college singing in various music groups. She was lead vocalist for a jazz/pop band, touring the Midwest, and has performed numerous times in theatre groups and musicals. As Annette's career in music unfolded, she was encouraged by fellow musicians and peers to record a demo tape. And so, in 1993, this multi-talented and charismatic recording artist spread her wings and released her first single, "I Wish I Didn't Need It" from her debut album, "A Love Like Ours". A second album "All The Way To Crazy", and a total of nine single releases later, Annette's music continues to evolve into a beautiful, inspirational sound that marks her as one of the most appealing recording artists to come out of the U.S. in years. Annette has always said "Music is what I need to feed my soul". Well it is clear that her new album "deeper" is reaping the benefits. "We're all connected to each other and the universe." she says. "Music is one of our most powerful connections." Singing In The New Year! ( 01/01/02 ) - Annette once again had the honor of sharing her love of music this New Year's Eve. Robert Cooper, author of "The Other 90%: How To Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential For Leadership & Life" and numerous books on motivational topics, has deemed it a tradition that Annette shares "the grace and beauty of her voice" with invited guests and friends at his private residence on the outskirts of Detroit. "Not only is Annette a good friend of mine" said Robert just before the stroke of midnight, "but she is a very talented person. Annette has several CDs out and some of you might be familiar with her charitable work. For those of you who do not know Annette, you are going to be pleasantly surprised tonight at how blessed she is." Just ahead of the New Year, Annette rose to honor all of the citizens of this country. Though her plan was to "sing a song off my latest album", Annette chose to perform The Star Spangled Banner. "Every one of us has been affected by the tragedies of September 11." Annette shared. "So I want to express my heartfelt gratitude that I am an American." The spectacular room in which Annette stood, with it's high ceilings and the listeners surrounding her, made this New Year's Eve a night to remember! As one guest summed it up: "Annette, what a terrific choice! You sang that (Star Spangled Banner) like a love song!" And so it is for Annette, a love song... to all those who perished in 2001, to all of us who remain to carry the torch of freedom, and for our dear country proudly raising the flag of patriotism. God Bless America! Copyright © 1999--2002 Inspired Music, Inc. - www.annettesongs.com, All rights reserved A Song In Her Heart ( 03/01/01 ) - This article, written by Jon Hall, appeared in the Spring 2001 issue of The Comminity Observer, Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is presented here in it's entirety. Sipping coffee at Saline's Drowsy Parrot Cafe, Annette LoCante-Blank looks like any other mom taking a break before the afternoon's round of games, dance lessons, and other scheduled activities. The dark-haired, forty-five-year-old mother of two--Stephanie, ten, and Alexandria, eight--has been at various times a soccer mom, a basketball mom, and "last season . . . a volleyball mom," she says, as she sits primly in a tweed blazer. But LoCante-Blank has another life, too. A professional singer with three albums and nine singles to her credit, "Annette" uses her music to help others, donating her time and part of the proceeds from her latest inspirational album, Deeper, to children and adults with Down syndrome. LoCante-Blank devotes an average of two weekends a month to raising money for the Possible Dream Foundation, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that cares for those with Down syndrome and related medical conditions. "Some months I'm in Miami every weekend for a kind of fund-raiser or to talk to people about helping," she says. The group, founded in 1987 by Camille Geraldi and her husband, pediatrician Michael Geraldi, provides residential care for up to forty-five special-needs adults and children at homes in North Carolina and Florida. LoCante-Blank joined forces with the Geraldis after getting a scare while she was pregnant with her second child at age thirty-seven. She realized, as do most women who conceive later in life, that her child would face an elevated risk of birth defects such as Down syndrome. Alexandria arrived healthy, but LoCante-Blank vowed to do more than just worry. "Mom said you had to 'give back,'" says LoCante-Blank, who hopes her example will inspire her own children to set the "proper priorities in life." One of seven kids in a musical family, LoCante-Blank arrived from Italy when she was four. Growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, she sang constantly, inspired by a mother who believed her daughter "could do anything she wanted." After singing her way to a bachelor's degree in English and communications at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside, she toured the Midwest as lead vocalist for a jazz and pop band out of Chicago. She found it a fun, but a "hard life." By 1983 she was living in Baltimore with her future husband, Richard Blank, working as a hairdresser and singing on the side. A demo tape led to a country and western recording contract, two albums recorded in Nashville (A Love Like Ours and All The Way To Crazy), and nine single releases. But happiness didn't come with all that success. In 1993, tired of the demanding life of a professional singer and the prospect of constant touring, she wondered how to use her music to "feed my soul, yet still not miss my kids." That was when she switched to inspirational music, choosing to work with the Geraldis after learning of their work through a television program. "If you can hit an emotional strain with [donors]," she says, "suddenly you have more of them; you have their heart--and hopefully their financial support, too." In 1997, LoCante-Blank recorded a thirteen-and-a-half-minute music video, The Reason (distributed free to schools, hospitals, and other groups), in which she sings as she visits with the foundation's kids. Other fund-raising efforts are planned with the release of Deeper, including a special benefit "Evening with Annette" sponsored by a business in West Palm Beach. In addition, half of the album's $11.98 price goes to the foundation, though her record distributor says little money has been raised thus far. The CD is available in Saline from Distinctive Creations and the Drowsy Parrot and in Ann Arbor from Schoolkids' Records in Exile and the Westgate Nicola's Books. Deeper can also be ordered online commercially and through LoCante-Blank's own website, annettesongs.com. Despite her obvious pleasure at working for the foundation, does "Annette" ever regret abandoning her commercial career? "No," she replies simply. "I think I'm doing what I'm supposed to do." Check out the artist's website: http://www.AnnetteSongs.com Track List: 1. I'll Take You Back 2. The Reason 3. Show Me What You Got 4. Trying Not To Cry 5. You Can See It From Here 6. Why Don't You Stay 7. All The Way To Crazy 8. Does That Mean I'm Over You Now 9. Tears Ready To Roll 10. It's Easier Said Than Done Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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