Talent at BT

BT man in Atlanta releases CD

Atlanta-based BT Americas finance manager Mike Rickard has released a debut CD which is selling out in US shops.

The singer-songwriter says he drew on personal feelings and experience for his solo album Stirred Not Shaken.

Mike - who has worked for BT Americas for more than six years - began singing in church and college. After touring with contemporary Christian groups, Mike spent several years "soul searching".

The result, he says, is his CD. "All of my life, I sang other people's music, other people's thoughts. But I ended up questioning everything I believed, everything that I had ever sung about," said Mike.

"So I thought that music was over for me. But the last several years brought about the right mix of experiences and feelings that make up the songs on the record. I realised that I definitely had something to say and wanted to say it in my own way."

The CD - which Mike describes as a pop album with plenty of hooks - takes listeners on a musical and emotional journey, he added.