John Oakes – The Valley (MP3)

‘The Valley’ was written by Australian singer songwriter John Oakes following a road trip to the beautiful Halls Gap in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia.

It is centred around the devastating bushfire that was started by lightning strike in January 2014. The ensuing fire quickly took hold and left the land burned to the ground in its wake. Over 7,000 sheep were lost to the fire. It covered an area of 52,000 hectares. Millions of wildlife also perished, including Koalas, which according to the locals have not been seen in the area since the fire.

Lovingly recorded & produced by John Oakes at his Adelaide based music studio, built on warm vocals and layered string instrument textures, it showcases John’s strong affinity with the natural world.