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Issued by East Main Media on September 22, 2026. Source: EIN Presswire.
Grammy-winning engineer David Amlen produces album featuring five powerhouse vocalists performing rare Elton John covers and songs by the late Jenny Amlen
MONTCLAIR, NJ. Freedom, the debut album from Dave and the Divas, releases worldwide Friday, September 18 on all major streaming and download platforms in stereo lossless and Dolby Atmos. Originally self-released by the group, the album is now released by East Main Media and distributed worldwide by MVD Entertainment Group.
Freedom is a concept album built on pairs. Grammy-winning producer and engineer David Amlen, founder of Sound on Sound Studios, wrote and performed with his sister Jenny Amlen for decades before her death. The two had planned a full-band recording of Elton John’s “Skyline Pigeon,” the song that closed their last show, but never got the chance. Freedom completes that plan: five previously unreleased songs by Jenny each paired with a rarely covered track from Elton John’s 1969 debut Empty Sky. Each of the five Divas, Julie Dobrow, Meg Beattie Patrick, Iris Schaffer-Hall, Stacia Thiel, and Cecilē Williams, sings one Jenny Amlen song and one Elton John song, with all five voices joining on the biggest choruses.
“This has truly been a labor of love,” said Amlen. “My sister and I always felt her songs should have reached a much larger audience. I’m hoping Jenny somehow knows her legacy continues.”
Recorded at Sound on Sound in Montclair, NJ, the album was made the way classic records were made: every instrument performed by a human, with no loops or sequenced parts. Amlen handled arrangements, production, guitars, and keyboards, joined by drummer Kevin Carrillo and a horn section of Eric Goletz, Gary Blackman, and Mark Blackman. Multiple Grammy winner Greg Calbi of Sterling Sound mastered. The Dolby Atmos mix places listeners inside the ensemble, surrounded by the five-voice choruses.
The title track, performed by Cecilē Williams, is the first single, followed by “Changing World,” performed by Julie Dobrow. Music videos for both, produced by East Main Media, are on YouTube.
“David made a record that stays with you: five great singers, a band playing live in the room, and songs with real history behind them,” said East Main Media founder Brian Brodeur. “MVD gives Freedom a real global path from day one, not just a link in a bio. We wanted to make sure the music could find an audience.”
Track Listing (run time 46:33)
- Freedom (Jenny Amlen), Cecilē Williams
- Valhalla (Elton John / Bernie Taupin), Meg Beattie Patrick
- Changing World (Jenny Amlen), Julie Dobrow
- Empty Sky (Elton John / Bernie Taupin), Stacia Thiel
- Western Ford Gateway (Elton John / Bernie Taupin), Iris Schaffer-Hall
- Sister (Jenny Amlen), Stacia Thiel
- Gulliver (Elton John / Bernie Taupin), Julie Dobrow
- Faith (Jenny Amlen), Iris Schaffer-Hall
- Skyline Pigeon (Elton John / Bernie Taupin), Cecilē Williams
- What If (Jenny Amlen), Meg Beattie Patrick
Release details: Label: East Main Media | Distributor: MVD Entertainment Group | Street date: September 18, 2026 | UPC: 195269349752 | SKU: EMM002
About Dave and the Divas
A vocal ensemble created and produced by David Amlen at Sound on Sound Studios in Montclair, NJ, rooted in pop and classic rock. Freedom is the group’s debut.
Links
Featured image: David Amlen mixing Freedom. Photo: Neil van Niekerk, courtesy of East Main Media.
