SOUTH Australian singer-songwriter Kelly Menhennett is on tour with her new 12-song album “Small Dreams’, and can be seen at The Front in Lyneham this Wednesday.

After early days performing at a local club in South Australia Menhennett left her job as a winemaker for busking in Europe and eventually found her way back to the Wide Brown Land, where she performed at Woodford Folk Festival, won the national 2011/12 “Telstra Road To Discovery Songwriter” award and performed at the 2012 Americana Music Festival in Nashville.

The resulting album, ‘”Small Dreams” was recorded at Mr Lemons Studio, Nashville, by producer Neilson Hubbard with an all-star Nashville band featuring Carl Broemel of “My Morning Jacket” on electric guitar, Michael Rinne on bass, Evan Hutchings on drums, Kris Donegan on electric guitar and lap slide, Dan Mitchell on the keyboard and flugelhorn, Eamon McLoughlin playing the violin and David Henry on cello.

Menhennett’s debut album “World of Mine” quickly established a devoted audience. The songs on the album were all self-penned and “World of Mine” was named one of the top 10 albums for 2011 by ‘Rhythms magazine’s Sue Barrett. She also won four SCALA (Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists Association) awards, in 2010.

Of the 12 songs on her new album, 10 are co-written with fellow artists, including the title track, which was a co-write with Charles Jenkins. Felicity Urquhart, Sarah Humphreys, Neilson Hubbard, Harry Hookey, Kevin Bennett and Kim Richey also contributed to songs.

Kelly Menhennett at The Front, with Alice Cottee, Wattle St Lyneham, Wednesday, July 16, Tickets $10 at the door.