Collectively and individually, music and healing have always been inseparable for The Heels; part and parcel of their uniquely inspiring brand of Country pop, deep personal bonds, and something they put centre stage on their 2023 EP, Work of Heart.
Produced by BCCMA Award Winner Anthony Fiddler and underpinned by lush but perfectly balanced Solfeggio Frequencies (tones shown to positively impact people physically and mentally based on the Solfege scale created by 11th-century monk Guido D’Arezzo), it’s a rare piece of work. One that finds Bobbi Smith, Brittni Dominelli, and Kyla Rawlins expanding substantially on their signature sound and enhancing their message of hope and healing with a tight set of the most grounded and honest songs they’ve ever written.
Sonically, Work of Heart represents an intentional departure from The Heels’ previous work; a record that reflects the life changes and challenges the West Coast-based band experienced during the pandemic while deepening the impact of what’s drawn listeners to The Heels over time. Namely, their chill-inducing vocal performances, lyrics and hooks that are instantly relatable to anyone with a pulse and the good-natured, sometimes bold, and often sassy attitude the trio are so well known for.
“It’s a fuller, more resonant sounding record, which ties into the healing frequencies. But I think our ‘frequency’ as a band has shifted as well,” Kyla says, citing ‘I Am’ – the title track of their 2021 sophomore album. The first song they’d included healing frequencies in, and one that started getting substantial play in yoga and wellness sessions, and sowed the seeds for a recording that, for The Heels, from stem to stern, is truly a Work of Heart.
When Covid restrictions put the boots to their plan for a run of US shows, the band turned a negative into a positive and headed to a lakeside cabin in the Kootenays instead to write and regroup. “We weren’t planning to record a new EP, but creating is what we do best and we’re so happy we did,”
Bobbi says. Amid recording the album, Brittni also gave birth to her first child with her partner, Fiddler. “And, with Anthony and Brittni bringing this new person into the world,” Bobbi says, “we felt even more drawn to make the world a better place.”
Granted, themes of empowerment, self-care, and healing have always been the driving force behind the musical sisterhood they’ve formed, a natural byproduct of their high-energy live shows and the larger-than-life stage presence that’s earned them the title of ‘The Queens of Canadian Country Pop.’
With a shared love of country music, the three came together in a way that’s as organic as their music, at a North Vancouver café co-owned by Kyla, where Brittni worked behind the counter and Bobbi was a regular. With their mutual love of singing, one thing led to another, and they decided to join forces. The release of their debut 2017 album, Love, Heels, and lead single, ‘Come Around,’ propelled the band to prominence in Western Canada, leading to performances at festivals including the Calgary Stampede and Sunfest Country Music Festival, and garnering them six nominations at the 2018 B.C. Country Music Awards and two BCCMA Awards, including the Ray McAuley Horizon Award.
Confident in the strength of their vision and driven to consistently evolve as singers, songwriters, and performers, with ‘I Am,’ they expanded on their sound, taking inspiration from other fearless contemporary female artists such as Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, and Whitney Houston, and incorporating classic country, gospel and Motown styles into their music.
The album singles ‘Hush Money’ (which racked up over a million views on TikTok) and ‘Catch & Release’ (featuring Canadian country superstar Aaron Pritchett) fuelled their momentum, leading to widespread acclaim in Canada and, in 2022, the Josie Music Award for Best Country Trio – a show during which The Heels took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House. Since The Heels have continued to tour widely in Canada and the United States, honing their chops as a standout live act, deepening their bond personally and creatively, and writing relentlessly.
On Work of Heart, inspired by sessions at the Kootenay Sound Healing Centre, the band took the ethic of offering healing and solace via their music further, inviting a sound healer from the facility to contribute to the recording. “We looked at each song, the emotions behind it, and then matched them that way. We explained what the songs were about and what the whole message of the album was.
Then the co-owner of the Centre recorded a gong healing/meditation session by one of their sound healers, and we determined which parts matched each song,” Bobbi says, “not only musically, but to enhance the topic of each song.”
They were also determined to expand on what they’ve done so beautifully before in terms of harmonies and worked with long-time friend and vocal coach Monique Lefevbre, to help them create even more dynamic and nuanced vocal arrangements.
The impact of those efforts is crystal clear on every track, and nowhere more so than on ‘Work of Heart,’ a song that speaks to the heart of their intentions with the EP, Brittni says: “That any negative can have a positive spin put on it so you can let that negativity go. That there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.”
It’s a sentiment they drive home on ‘Trust’ – a track aimed squarely at helping listeners deal with loss, fear, and guilt by encouraging them to foster connections with others to re-establish and repair relationships that may have been damaged in one way or another over time. That’s a thread they tease out even further with the standout, ‘Caught Up In The Good,’ a song that reads like a recipe for a better world. “Which, we hope,” Kyla says, “shows people how to get to that place by reminding them of all the good in the world.”
Doing so isn’t necessarily easy. It requires commitment, dedication, and the wherewithal to take the reins, figuratively and literally, with direct action. That’s something they take on with characteristic enthusiasm and humour on ‘John-Wayneing’ – a raucous, rollicking track that captures all the energy, attitude, and playfulness of The Heels’ high-octane live performances. Essentially, it’s a call to, “Grab your boots and go out and make a difference,” Bobbi says. “Speak up. Have those hard conversations.
The more you do, the more you’ll find people who feel the same.”
At the core, that’s the message of Work of Heart – when things get tough, even terrifying, you have to step up, face your fears down, and help others do the same.
Ultimately, as eminently hooky and radio-ready as all the tracks on Work of Heart are, “For us, this is about so much more than that,” Bobbi says.
“It’s about strength and empowerment,” Brittni puts in. “It’s about turning negatives into positives,” Kyla sums up, “which is, and has always been, the whole point of The Heels.