Oz

Missy Higgins' OZ is something different … an eclectic album of Aussie cover versions and a quirky book of related essays. The music and the prose are best experienced together in a beautiful clothbound CD/Book edition but they can also be enjoyed separately in physical or digital forms, and all are released on September 19.

The OZ album features Missy re-imagining 15 Australian songs that were originally recorded by a diverse set of artists including The Angels, Slim Dusty, Something For Kate, Warumpi Band, Paul Kelly and The Drones. In the accompanying OZ book, Missy uses each of those recordings as the starting point for a sprawling series of essays; reflecting on life, love and how not to wear high heels.

There are four main threads that bind this disparate collection of tunes. The first is obviously the lyrical and vocal combinations that allow Missy to truly inhabit each of these works as if she had written it herself. The second is the strikingly live production by Missy and American orchestrator Jherek Bischoff (Amanda Palmer, David Byrne, Kronos Quartet).

The third thread that runs through the OZ recordings is the presence of contributions from various friends of Missy's. Not only does she cover Dan Sultan's timeless "Old Fitzroy" but the Deadly Award winner (and "Bran Nue Dae" co-star) also adds his unmistakable voice to an ol' timey rendition of "The Biggest Disappointment". Kate Miller Heidke and Amanda Palmer are among others to feature prominently.

Finally, the entire collection was mixed by multiple Grammy recipient Jay Newland who also mixed Missy's breakthrough album The Sound of White.