FROM adding colour to lifeless roots to celebrating lovers of the great Aussie ute, singer-songwriter Jayne Denham is living the life she was born to live.
The self-confessed rock chick and part-time hairdresser is on the verge of releasing album number two, the aptly titled Shake This Town.
She will kick it off with a launch at Springwood Sports Club on Friday, June 5.
Shake This Town is the result of a collaboration with renowned producer Garth Porter and the platter packs a punch.
Along with the party-friendly title track, Denham serves up plenty to ensure her ever-growing clutch of fans are sent into overdrive, including the pacey fun of A Farmers Wife to the female-friendly Mad Professor.
Of course, following the success of Chick Ute and Cousin Jude from the 2007 debut Sudden Change In Weather, the new platter has its share of songs for the motoring enthusiast.
``When that album came out I had no idea that the ute fraternity was as massive as it was,'' Denham said.
``I didn't even think that [Chick Ute] was going to be a single. I just thought, oh yeah, it's a nice track about a girl. But it went bananas, and then I went travelling all over Australia singing at truck shows and ute shows.
``So Garth was like, well Jayne you've basically put yourself on the country music map because you wrote those songs, you need to come back and make sure that the fans you've got because of those songs are happy.''
Answering the call, Denham came up with the girl power inspired Trucker Chicks, the cool Road Train Fever, and the zany Feral Kev And General Leeroy both of whom are real characters. ``Its about a guy who lives in Emu Plains [Feral Kev] who is a fair dinkum ute guy, who drag races a guy from Newcastle called General Leeroy and they're always neck and neck,'' Denham said.
``I knew straight away the direction the song would take. I wanted a western feel like you see in old gun fighter movies, so Garth went to town and wrote a ripper song. It's probably one of my favourites.''
To Denham, the story is an essential ingredient of every good song.
``I think its great that people can write about heartbreak, but for people like me and where I'm at in my life I'm married and I'm not 15 and being a hairdresser, I am attracted to people who have a great story,'' she said.
``I'm fascinated by really different, fun people. The people that I'm meeting doing this type of stuff (going to truck shows and ute shows), are just hilarious. I actually really love these types of people.
``You don't usually find me writing a song about myself because I find these people so much more fascinating than me.''
Like her material, Denham's hopes for the release, and her future for that matter, are extremely grounded.
``If I could have all of Australia go, yeah we think you're cool, we like your stuff, I'd die happy,'' she said.
Denham's Springwood show will start at 7.30pm.
Tickets: 47511298.
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