''Whispering Afraid'' is the 1973 debut album by New Zealand singer-songwriter

Shona Laing Shona Laing (born 9 October 1955) is a New Zealand musician. She has had several hits in her native country, as well as a few minor international hits, most notably " (Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy" and "Soviet Snow". Laing contributed to Manfred ...

. Recorded at

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

's EMI Studios and produced by New Zealand musician Dale Wrightson, ''Whispering Afraid'' was released by

Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a record company with United Kingdom origins. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by U ...

after the teenage Laing's popularity on the talent show ''New Faces''.Shona Laing – Whispering Afraid
''Discogs''. Retrieved July 7, 2020.Grok My Enthusiasm (12)
''HILOBROW''. Retrieved July 8, 2020.Shona Laing
''Audioculture''. Retrieved October 21, 2020. The album, consisting of

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk music, folk and rock music, rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the American fo ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

songs, was commercially successful and was certified gold in New Zealand. Following its release, Laing was awarded Best Newcomer, Best Female Vocalist, and Best Performer of the Year at the 1973 Recording Arts Talent Awards.

Title and artwork

The album title comes from the fourth track on the album, "Whispering Afraid". This song was never released as a single. The album cover, designed by Wrightson and photographed by Sal Criscillo, features Laing standing in the doorway of a cottage located in the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

area; however, she and the doorway were photographed at Criscillo's Wellington home and then edited on.

Singles

Three singles were released which were well-received. The lead single "1905" (written about

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and r ...

) remained on the charts for 14 weeks, was certified gold in New Zealand, and reached No. 4 on the New Zealand charts.1905
''NZ On Screen''. Retrieved July 7, 2020. The second single, "Show Your Love", reached the same position while the final single, "Masquerade", reached No. 11.

Track listing

References

{{Authority control Shona Laing albums 1973 debut albums Vertigo Records albums Folk albums by New Zealand artists