‘Angel’ is a lyrical collaboration between Michael and me. Occasionally, he writes poetry and shares it with me as the genesis of a song idea. His poems are fully formed and rich with vivid imagery, standing strong on their own, but they don't always translate directly into songs. When we work together like this, I see it as my role to enhance and preserve the essence of Michael's core idea while transforming it into something I can truly own as a singer.

In this instance, I had a compelling riff I’d been developing, which became the driving force of the song. Michael's poem challenged me to think about incorporating a verse and chorus structure musically. During the recording process, we added backing vocals as we usually do, which really elevated the track. Then I had the idea to integrate an eBow. Bands like Big Country, Depeche Mode, and The Mission have used the eBow to great atmospheric effect. For us, it took the song to a different, stratospheric level. We're really happy with how it turned out.” —Shaleph O’Neill

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