It’s been a long time between albums for Deni Hines, and up until a year ago it had been a long time between regular work. Times have certainly changed.
Deni’s presently on the ‘home-stretch’ of an Australian season of ‘Dusty’ The Musical, and she’s just released the first single ‘Water for Chocolate’ from her brand new album of the same name.
It was about eighteen months ago, that Deni visited clairvoyant-medium Ruth Phillips for a reading, seeking amongst other things some career advice. Deni heard about Ruth through a stage manager at Rove Live. On her way into the studio, Deni saw a spiritual presence lurking in a props area outside the studio. “The Spirit was quite miserable. I remember telling him to get over himself and go home” Deni explained.
The stage manager had recalled Ruth talking about the same ghost on the way from the Green Room, one week earlier. “He was the one who suggested that Ruth and I should meet” Deni said.
“That first reading was amazing! Ruth told me that my career was about to be hit with a lot of ‘busy energy’ and as things turned-out she totally hit the nail on the head.” Deni explained.
It wasn’t long before her agent’s phone started ringing. Firstly the television series ‘Skating on Thin Ice.’ Then in the middle of that series she was approached to play the role of Reno in ‘Dusty’, a musical about the life of Dusty Springfield. During this time Deni also started producing her new album ‘Water for Chocolate’ which is being released on her own record label – 3DE (Three Dimensional Earth). ‘Dusty’ plays 6 days a week, and when everyone else gets their day off, Deni is back in the studio working on the album or doing promotion.
So how does Deni wind down?
“I’m a bit of a loner really. I go to work and then I come home again,” Deni muses. “I go back to my hotel room, drink Buddha’s Tears tea – which is full of anti-oxidants – and curl up in front of the telly. When I’m working so hard, I need to look after myself and my voice.” In between albums Deni kept herself busy collaborating with other artists and writing music for films, like the French film “Taxi.”. The strict vegetarian also established her own organic garden in the backyard of her house on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Sadly, In May 2003 she lost her Grandmother after a series of strokes and Deni speaks very candidly about her passing. “I had been asked to do some work overseas and I was afraid that I might be away when she passed. Ruth assured me in a phone call that I would definitely not miss it.” Ruth also explained that when she did eventually pass, Deni would bring something to make the room smell nice, and she would open a window to allow her Spirit to leave.
And Deni was there six months later when her grandmother was admitted to hospital for the last time. She had been travelling home from Melbourne by car when she got a call from her mother to come to the hospital. As the moment came, Deni took some frangipani flowers she’d brought with her and placed them over the bedclothes. She had found them scattered on the ground outside her house as she left for the hospital.
“After she passed, I remember looking for a window – but there was none. Instinctively I knew I had to open the door. And then it was done.” Deni recalled. “If there’s a good way to pass, that has to be in the top ten.” she added.
“I said to my mum ‘Now we have the biggest angel looking after us’. In this life there was no way my grandmother would let anything happen to my mother and I, and now she’s in an all-knowing realm there’s no way she’ll let anything bad happen to us.”
Deni has a certainty in her spirit about both life and death. She feels that we all should be more accepting of death and live life exhuberantly, taking hold of the opportunities that life brings us. “And I think we should change the word death to ‘going home’, because really that’s all it is.” she offers.
Ruth Phillips has witnessed the strong spiritual bond between Deni and all the members of her family. “Deni’s Grandmother is the one who most often comes through when I do readings for her. She assures me that she’s watching over Deni and her Mum and always comes through with so much love for them.” Ruth explains.
And will Deni’s album take her back into the charts? Ruth certainly thinks so.
“Deni played me two songs to ask which song should be the first single. I suggested ‘Water for Chocolate’ because I was told it would strike a chord with listeners” Ruth said.
Naturally Deni is a little more reserved when considering the success of her first new album in nearly six years. “I don’t know what the album’s going to do. If it’s meant to be a flop to teach me something, that’s fine. And if it’s a success then it will freak my head out and that’s okay too!” Deni says. “The universe doesn’t send you anything you can’t handle. The universe always looks after me.”
The title track from ‘Water for Chocolate’ was released on July 8 and the album is due for release on August 21st.
Ruth Phillips is a clairvoyant-medium who runs regular workshops and events in Australia and New Zealand. Her website is www.ruthiephillips.com.
James Williams