The thrill of Tara

Tara Blaise, the former Wilde Oscars and Kaydee vocalist, has had a busy time of it since the 2005 release of her acclaimed solo debut, Dancing On Tables Barefoot.

She has not only toured widely, including appearances at Oxegen and the Isle of Wight Festivals, but was also play-listed on BBC Radio 2. The album has now been re-issued with four extra tracks, while the song ‘21 Years’ – written about her father who died when she was 21 – has just been released as a single.
“There’s one live song, which was recorded last Christmas, a version of ‘Winter Wonderland’ with just me and Anto Drennan, done on the spur of the moment,” she reveals. “And there’s a couple of other songs I didn’t put on the album, including a song called ‘Primrose’ that came about through a spelling mistake – it was originally called ‘Promise’ (laughs). The single has gone to radio and I’ll be doing some TV and hopefully some gigs in Ireland over the coming months.”
But that’s not all the good news from the Blaise camp .This month also saw the release of the DVD of Jeff Wayne’s live musical version of War Of the Worlds, in which she played the part of Beth (originally played by Julie Covington). Blaise reveals that she has just heard the news that it has gone to number one in the music DVD charts
“It was an incredible experience for me and a really big thrill, because it involved acting as well as singing,” she says. “I did the course in the Gaiety School of Acting a few years ago and I guess it did help in me getting the part, but I think Jeff was more interested in my singing. The best part was working with people like Herbie Flowers and Chris Spedding. It goes to show how being nice in the music business goes a long way .They’ve all worked with huge names but they’re so unassuming and were very helpful to me. I discovered that working on a big production like War Of the Worlds means that there can’t be any egos involved.”
The original version of War Of the Worlds was, of course, released in 1978, featuring Phil Lynott and Richard Burton among a large cast of performers.
“I didn’t know my song before I did the show, but I was thrilled to discover that Phil Lynott would have been my husband in the original version,” she says. “In fact, when I went to Jeff Wayne’s house to work on the song, we recorded it with me dueting with Phil from the original tape. I have a copy of it and it’s something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.”
Meanwhile, Blaise is demo-ing songs for her next album, due sometime in the new year. “It’s great to have the first album done and finished,” she says “You can clear your head and start afresh. I’ve written quite a few songs already which I’m very happy with, but I’m really dying to getting back to doing some more gigs. I love the interaction with audiences, especially in more intimate venues like Whelan’s.”