Vocals and guitars by Elisabeth Geel.
Produced, composed, and arranged by Elisabeth Geel.

Lyrics:

Cold World 
(music and lyrics by Elisabeth J. Geel)

So here’s where the heartless hold their conventions
Here is where they devise their strategies
I watch them roll their eyes and drink their bloody lies on ice
A toast to my defeat
To their own greed

Christmas carols call for a day of kindness
The jingle bells have cast their yearly spell on everyone
A charming lady leads you to your table with a smile
And says she's there for you
Well, she is lying too

It’s a cold, cold, cold, cold world
Can you feel it in the air?
It’s a cold, cold, cold, cold
It’s a cold world where people don’t care

Integrity, honesty are the highest values
But what goes on behind the scenes they’ll never tell you
And you won't suspect a thing until the circumstances bring
You lower than the ground
And you find yourself around

The lost, the lonely, and the languid
The hostages that swarm the underground corridors
Captives of the kings and queens that jump from planes and limousines
With the same grace and skill
That they deploy to kill

It’s a cold, cold, cold, cold world
Can you feel it in the air?
It’s a cold, cold, cold, cold
It’s a cold world where people don’t care

They bask in the glow of each other’s power
But they’re as fragile as the chandeliers above their heads
Without nuts and bolts and straps this crystal tower would collapse
And they would not survive
Because they only thrive

In a cold, cold, cold, cold world
Can you feel it in the air?
It’s a cold, cold, cold, cold
It’s a cold world where people don’t care

Cold World

"A Monument to Madness" is the title track of my upcoming album (to be released on December 3, 2021). It describes the shocking experience of finding the house I once lived in, an old villa in Italy, completely in ruins. I returned to Italy in 2019, and I was hopeful to find the villa restored and occupied by a happy family, instead I found it with windows shattered and taken over by nature. As I stood there, in the abandoned building, the phrase "don't let the blast confound you" snuck up on me, and that's how the song was born.
Elisabeth Geel - vocals, guitars, arrangements.
Federico Malaman - bass
Fred Hayes - drums

Lyrics:

A Monument to Madness

Fireflies and alibis in clouds above the mire
Artesian wells and ancient smells
It’s the land of lust and liars

From that crumbling house you made a vow
To the peacocks on the shed
Accessories, like dignity,
Were shoved under the bed

And now, a thousand summers later
You’re standing in the door
Among the glass shards on the floor
As if a hurricane just barreled through
The memory so frangible and dear to you, oh but

Don’t let the blast confound you
It’s just a minor glitch
A little painful when it hits
And don’t let the lights astound you
Can you hear the angels sing
On the silence of your wings, oh

The one who led the marching band
Across the soggy grass
He said you were the perfect fit
To wave the tattered flag

And then one day his feathers fell
In bundles to the ground
You left them there, a monument to madness
And mowed the grass around them

And now, a thousand summers later
You’re standing in the street
A smoking crater at your feet
As if a meteor just slammed into
The memory so tangible and clear to you, oh

Don’t let the blast confound you
It’s just a minor glitch
A little painful when it hits
And don’t let the lights astound you
Can you hear the angels sing
On the silence of your wings, oh

Don’t let the blast confound you
It’s just a minor glitch
A little painful when it hits

A Monument To Madness

In the 90s I lived in a dilapidated villa in Northern Italy, and the view from my window was actually what you see in the photo (by Claudio Zambenedetti).These trees inspired "These Trees." I played all the instruments with Logic, which I ordered from the German company Emagic, who were the creators of the software. It came in a box and it cost me a fortune! I used Logic for quite a few productions, and I am still using it...(the new Apple version this time).
These Trees was recorded and mixed at Imputlevel Studios in Italy in 1999 or so...

Incognito                     

These Trees

Annie Sings

Netherlands-born Elisabeth Geel is a singer-songwriter with a personal guitar style and warm mezzo soprano vocals. Her genre defies easy categorization, but she credits Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro as major influences. Throughout her life she has been inspired by artists from a wide range of genres, i.e. Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Steely Dan, Sarah Vaughan, Kate Bush, etc., and she evolved by distilling these influences into her own unique writing style. 
Elisabeth Geel is also a visual artist/illustrator.

Elisabeth Geel

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