''String of Pearls'' is the debut studio album by the Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist

Deborah Conway Deborah Ann Conway (born 8 August 1959) is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actress. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their top 5 hit " Man Overboard". Con ...

. The album was released in October 1991 and peaked at number 20 on the Australian

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1992 In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanimen ...

, the album was nominated for four awards; Breakthrough Artist – Album, Album of the Year, Best Cover Art, and Best Female Artist. It won Best Female Artist. In June 2015, Conway celebrated the 25th anniversary of the album by performing the entire album in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

Critical reception

Jonathan Lewis from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

said "''String of Pearls'' ranges from the melodic pop of the most successful single "It's Only the Beginning" to the rock of "Under My Skin". Much of the rest of the album is acoustic pop and gentle ballads, with the superb "Release Me" being the best example. Conway's voice is what holds the album together. Her voice is strong and suited to these songs. In the hands of a lesser singer ''String of Pearls'' would not have been anywhere near as effective. Instead, Conway manages to cover the slight lack of originality in songwriting by her strong presence and produces a memorable set of songs."

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Credits

*Accordion – Dror Erez, Rick Staff *Autoharp – Michael den Elzen *Bass – Dave Cochrane, Michael den Elzen, Nigel Griggs, Richard Pleasance *Cello – Peter O'Reilly *Drums – Greg Morrow, Peter Jones *Drums

nare A nostril (or naris , plural ''nares'' ) is either of the two orifices of the nose. They enable the entry and exit of air and other gasses through the nasal cavities. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called t ...

– Peter Maslen *Engineer – Doug Roberts, Joe Hardy *Guitar – Michael den Elzen, Richard Pleasance, Deborah Conway *Harmonica – Chris Wilson *Mandolin – Richard Pleasance *Organ – Alan Harding, Lawrence Maddy, Mick O'Connor, Rick Staff *Percussion – Greg Morrow, Michael den Elzen, Peter Maslen, Richard Pleasance *Piano – Alan Harding, Dror Erez, Richard Pleasance *Tambourine – Peter Maslen *Trumpet – Vince Jones *Violin – Ann Hickey, Tom Fitzgerald *Vocals (backing) – Deborah Conway, Joe Hardy, Linda Bull, Michael den Elzen, Richard Pleasance, Vika Bull, Vince Jones

References

{{Authority control 1991 debut albums Deborah Conway albums ARIA Award-winning albums Mushroom Records albums