The Sha La Das Release ‘Stop Using My Love’ & Announce More
When the Sha La Das released their 2018 debut Love in the Wind, the group thought it might be a one-off. Bill Schalda and his talented sons Paul, Will and Carmine created something timeless with their silken family harmonies—following it wouldn’t be easy.
“I just figured that would probably be it,” Bill Schalda says. “The experience was like catching lightning in a bottle. We were so pleased with the end result of Love in the Wind. That record could have been our entire legacy.”
Fortunately, the urge to create kept tugging at the Sha La Das. Musical ideas were passed between members and Thomas Brenneck (Charles Bradley, Menahan Street Band, Lady Wray), who also produced Love in the Wind after being wowed by Bill’s singing. “Bill is the real deal,” Brenneck says. “About as authentic of a doo-wop singer as you can find and an amazing songwriter as well.”
Slowly, a batch of new Sha La Das songs took shape. From that collaboration comes Your Picture, the Sha La Das’ seductively engrossing second album and the first release on Tom Brenneck’s own label, Diamond West Records. It’s yet another singular testament to the stirring power of blood harmony and a celebration of the enduring love story between Bill and the family matriarch, Linda.
Traces of old memories flicker through Your Picture. The title track recalls a relationship from long ago, sparked by an old photo. “It’s almost like breaking a dam of feelings that I didn’t even know were there.” Says Schalda. The opening track, “Young Love and Laughter,” takes a melancholy slant, where the idealism of youthful romance has been eroded by reality.
Bill’s classic songwriting and lush vocal arrangements get whirled into new territory, updating doo-wop with the bottom-heavy groove and swirling pop of Brenneck’s lean, spacious production. “We brought in some psychedelic sounds and drew inspiration from deep soul records to the Beatles and Beach Boys alike,” Brenneck says. Case in point: “Catch You on the Rebound” hovers weightlessly before turning into a gritty, cautionary tale; “If You Want You Can Be My Girl” struts to a Cuban rhythm; and “Magic Mary” brings some low-end thump for an ode to blissful trips. The lead single, “Stop Using My Love” is an example of the wizardry of collaborative songwriting; “Paul came up with the hook, Tommy the chords and the rest of it exploded out. I can’t explain how it happens; it seems like it just flows.” says Schalda
In “Made Me Change My Mind,” Bill addresses his beloved Linda by name and offers a succinct hymn of devotion. “When we met, I went from being this single, lost guy and I became found,” he says. “She became the fixed star in my life’s Universe.”
That love radiates throughout the album and the shimmering melodies Bill and his sons’ produce. Whether the Sha La Das make another album or not, Bill Schalda and sons are living their musical dream—Your Picture is the proof.
Photo credit to David Harrison