When Steve McNaughton decided to help his long-term co-writer and friend James Stewart Keene get started on a movie project, little did they know that the partnership would lead to not only a great short film, but also to create some great music along the way.
Steve’s new single Start Again is the closing theme to award winning Australian western/period drama short film Sherbrooke Down: The Road to Cataract, featuring the much-loved Australian TV soap stars Patrick O’Connor, Sophie Dillman and Tim Robards.
This heartfelt and emotional song showcases a powerful vocal collaboration between the two friends. With its uncomplicated melancholic sound and its dramatic cinematic tone, this track journeys from country into adult contemporary territory.
Steve explains the choice of the song for the short film.
“James, his cousin Janssen and I wrote the song back in 2007, but like so many tunes it sat on the shelf waiting for the right moment. Fast forward to 2021, we were looking for a song for the film that conveyed the lead characters’ regret – that feeling of wishing you could do it all different if you only had a second chance at life."
James added that after they re-jigged the song’s arrangement with simple guitar and banjo instruments, the vibe transformed and better complimented the lyrics. The finishing touches in the studio were completed by Rod Motbey at Tracking Dog Studios.
The music video features scenes for the award-winning short film and includes cameo appearances from Steve and James as well.
Start Again – Performed by Steve McNaughton (featuring James Stewart Keene) is available now on all good digital music platforms, and will be released to radio via Checked Label Services this week.