Videos: Janet LaBelle –“Wide Awake Dreaming”

Back in the frozen wastelands of January, NJ born singer/songwriter Janet LaBelle warmed our hearts with the fantastic video for “You Don’t Get It (So Forget It),” a simple and heartfelt ode to lost love. Los Angeles served as the setting for that video, but Janet has returned home to Brooklyn to record her new single/video “Wide Awake Dreaming.”

The “dream sequences” were shot on location at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Director Chris Carlone creates elegant imagery in a Terrence Malick-type fashion, but even with the constant stream of impressive visuals, the focus is never never taken off of the music. Utilizing no more than a piano and strings courtesy of Nicole Scorsone (of River City Extension fame), LaBelle has created a charmingly melancholy tune filled with hope as well as intense longing. Janet has always taken a refreshing “less-is-more” approach to her music, never letting it get bogged down with needless overproduction, which is why she made the decision to record the vocals for this song live.

“It’s important for me to bring my music as close to raw emotion as possible. Recording live hides nothing and helps me get closer to my audience.”

Janet Labelle is currently working on her fourth album. In the meantime, see the video posted below. “Wide Awake Dreaming” is also available here on iTunes or here on CDBaby. She will also be performing at the following dates and venues:

5/15 – Bowery Electric in New York, NY 9pm

5/25 – Spike Hill in Brooklyn, New York 9pm

6/1 –  The Record Collector in Bordentown, NJ 7pm

6/22 – Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ 12pm