Dan Sultan is one of Australia's finest voices. Over the past two decades, he's dabbled in rock, country, soul, even a kids album. But it's on his most recent record, Little Miracles, that he feels like he's finally closer to reaching his full potential. It's a heartfelt expression of self, expansive and epic, full of strings, gospel, and pure sunshine. The album came together in an improbable burst of creativity with legendary songwriter and producer Guy Chambers, (the man behind some of Robbie Williams' biggest hits), and was written and recorded in just 12 days. The title came from Chambers himself, who described the sessions as "a time of little miracles." For Dan, it was the culmination of a journey through mental health struggles and addiction, and a regret held for over a decade which he was finally able to resolve, proof that sometimes the right moment finds you when you're ready. To celebrate 20 years of Take 5, Double J has been recording special live conversations in record stores around the country. After last week's episode with The Presets at Crosstalk Records in Sydney, Zan Rowe crammed into the charming Music Farmers on Dharawal country in Wollongong for a sunny Sunday session with Dan. His theme was five 'miracles' in song, and Dan chose his tracks because of the artists who sing them. All are vocalists he says can't be compared to anyone else. Dan Sultan's song choices: Mr. Bungle - 'Pink Cigarette'Gillian Welch - 'I Made a Lover's Prayer'Uncle Frank Yamma - 'She Cried'Aaron Neville - 'Ave Maria'Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris (Trio) - 'High Sierra'00:00 Introduction: Dan Sultan, Five Miracles at Music Farmers 01:19 Celebrating 20 Years of Take Five in Record Stores 01:40 First Song: Mr. Bungle 'Pink Cigarette' 02:13 Mike Patton: "You Can't Really Compare Him to Anyone Else" 03:16 The Chili Peppers vs. Mr. Bungle: Label Drama and Big Voices 05:09 Rejecting Expectations: "I Don't Like Qualifiers on My Art" 06:21 "Things Weren't Easy When I Was Little": Music as a Rock 08:13 Seeking Out Guy Chambers: A Long-Held Regret 09:16 Mental Health, Addiction, and Getting Sober 09:45 Guy on a Pedestal: "It Was a Regret I'd Come to Terms With" 11:26 Seven Years to the Second: The Little Miracle 12:44 "I Wasn't Able to Get Past a Certain Ceiling" 13:51 "We Wrote the Record in 12 Days" 14:05 "A Time of Little Miracles": Naming the Album 16:44 Second Song: Gillian Welch 'I Made a Lover's Prayer' 17:15 The Soul Journey Record: Beauty That's Bottomless 19:57 Finding a Creative Partner Eight Records In 21:31 'Can't Be For Nothing': A New Corner of the Universe Opens Up 26:50 Third Song: Uncle Frank Yamma 'She Cried' 27:04 "If Frank Lived in a Different Country, a Lot More People Would Know" 29:48 Fourth Song: Aaron Neville 'Ave Maria' 30:05 Aaron Neville on Sesame Street: The Power of Restraint 33:45 Singing Other People's Songs: Empathy and Performance 37:39 Fifth Song: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris 'High Sierra' 38:01 Three Icons Together: Linda Ronstadt's Voice Cuts Right Through 41:25 "I'm Proud of You, Too": Dan and Zan's Long Friendship 43:20 Zan's Wrap-Up: Next Stop, Kate Miller-Heidke in Melbourne
