I don’t know about you, but the month of May came around pretty quickly for me this year, meaning that Mother’s Day is right around the corner. So, it seems perfectly fitting that we have a special single release to coincide with this springtime holiday from none other than Toronto, ON singer-songwriter Amanda Walther, who continues to keep us busy at GDW with her stunning solo releases and Dizzy & Fay jazz collaborations.
Produced by her brother, Adrian Walther, and mixed/mastered by Mark Lalama, “Salt Water Cures” represents the latest cut from the “Walk With Me” movie soundtrack; one for which Amanda wrote an entire album worth of new songs to complement the independent movie. The track selected from the soundtrack to be released here today touches a theme that fits perfectly with Mother’s Day.
For most of us, thoughts of our mothers bring about warm feelings and fond memories. This rings true for me, and as I get older, I find that my mother’s wisdom which I fought so hard to avoid when I was younger sneaks out of my bloodstream, into my mind, and spills out of my mouth, usually when I least expect it. Admittedly, I can only hope that I’ve planted half the amount of wisdom into my own daughter’s core as she similarly tries to avoid me.
“Salt Water Cures” is an emotionally evoking song that brought happy tears to my eyes, as it was impossible not to connect to this song while thinking of my mom. “You’re such a good mother and a grandmother too / I hope someday I’ll be just like you / And when I get here / I’ll have saltwater cures / Just like yours / … You’re the woman I rely on / I hear you every day.” The more I hear these wonderfully constructed lines from Amanda, the more relatable they become to the motherly sentiments that I also hold dearly. The truth of these words is that no matter how old we get, there’s nothing quite like that one thing that your mom used to do to make you feel better. But whatever her specialty was, it’s seemingly impossible to replicate, so us mothers find a way to recreate the love in the cure as we make our own for our children.
Amanda is the first to admit that this song was written with her own mother as her focal point. “I wrote this song for my mother, Catherine… who embodies strength, sensitivity and growth all at once,” she shares. “It’s a song close to my heart and I’m so glad that it made it into the soundtrack for Walk With Me, [appearing] in one of my favourite scenes.” As the second track released from the soundtrack, following “Everything Can Wait” back in March, Amanda is seemingly teasing us with little treats of much more to come.
“Walk With Me” has been made available to view online, and I hope to check out the movie for myself sometime soon. But right now, having heard both of these wonderful singles taken from the soundtrack, I cannot wait for the opportunity to welcome Amanda back down here to PA, so that I can one day enjoy witnessing her perform these new tunes in a live and intimate setting.
Jess has always enjoyed a wide range of music genres and eras. Connecting deeply with classical music, she played cello from grade school through high school, and although no longer actively playing, her affinity for finding an emotional connection to music is still strong. Residing in central PA, she is new to the Canadian music scene and enjoys listening to new artists as a way to break away from “the usual.” Jess is an avid yogi who often finds a sliver of peace while on the yoga mat with good music playing in the background.
