Soulful Sound & Introspection: Kelsey Michael's 'Lethowsow' album is out now via Dimple Discs
FOR FANS OF: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Angeline Morrison, Laura Nyro, Daudi, Linda Perhacs, Judee Sill, Ren Harvieu, Martha Tilston
INFLUENCED BY: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Aretha Franklin, Sandy Denny, Robert Wyatt, Harold Arlen (Wizard Of Oz), Lesley Duncan, Ennio Morricone, The High Llamas
FOCUS TRACKS: Music Of The Waves, Mounts Bay Morning, Gry Maritha
FCC clean
'Lethowsow' album https://orcd.co/kelseylethowsow
Bandcamp https://kelseymichael.bandcamp.com/album/lethowsow
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/49fEy8lF91fSD7iF6IaRog
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/ca/album/lethowsow/1753104178
'Music Of The Waves' video https://youtu.be/_C9HGzDT3-0
'Mounts Bay Morning' (live) https://youtu.be/TPy1xxw9xoE
'Washing Line' (live) https://youtu.be/gPZ7Z5BU2s8
'Swimming' (live) https://youtu.be/fMZbBgC5bPk
“The suitably immersive Lethowsow deals in the elemental forces that shape coastal existence, both physically and psychologically... Beguiling debut'... infused with natural wonder... gorgeous meditations" ~ UNCUT
"At the centre of the album is the Zen-like repetition of 'Tide Comes In', which casts a kind eye over the struggles we face and places them in a larger context of hope. Gentle and captivating, these are kind songs to ease troubled times" ~ RnR Magazine
Emerging from southwestern England, Kelsey Michael unveils her first solo effort, 'Lethowsow', released by Peckham-based imprint Dimple Discs. Drawing inspiration from the iconic piano-driven sounds of 60s and 70s artists like Laura Nyro and Carole King, this seven-song collection blends modern art-pop sensibility with powerful vocals, feel-good melodies reminiscent of classic pop, and mesmerizing folk drones.
With this album, Kelsey Michael's unique sound having garnered BBC 6 Music support from Radcliffe and Maconie, and also Gilles Peterson, in addition to rave reviews from an array of publications, with UNCUT's Rob Hughes dubbing this "Nyro-esque rapture" and "beguiling... infused with natural wonder".
Kelsey's own history in the music scene is many-storied. Previously a theatre performer and movie soundtrack singer, you may also recognize her voice from Jocelyn Pook’s score for Stanley Kubrick’s final film 'Eyes Wide Shut' or through her collaborations with Anglo-Irish avant-pop band The High Llamas and their endlessly inventive songwriter Sean O’Hagan. In fact, she features on five of Sean’s albums, including his 2019 solo release 'Radum Calls Radum Calls'.
Many moons have passed since her first job as a backing singer for music legends The The on their European tour. Since then Kelsey Michael has released two EPs with her previous London-based band Minnow, the second of which (‘Out Of The Woods’) came out on Stereolab label Duophonic and also involves Sean O’Hagan, receiving notable praise from The Wire and The Guardian, among others.
Celebrating song whilst transporting us to the magical wild West Cornwall landscape - Kelsey’s chosen home, anchor and inspiration - this album is a cinematic breath of fresh air. "Lethowsow" (pronounced Laith-oh-so), means ‘the milky ones’ in old ‘Kernewek’ language - this old Cornish name being given the treacherous Seven Stones reef off Lands End, a large stretch of vertical rocks like sharks’ teeth which are always covered with white water. Kelsey loved the soft sound of this word, describing the rocks in a magical way, as if they were characters.
For Kelsey, this album represents the awesome and humbling power of nature, the sea being a major character in this release. 'Swimming' takes us wading into waves, "cooling off the heat deep inside", with watery glissando from stunning harpist Benjin Musiq.
This album also features vocal performances by folk artist Angeline Morrison (creator of 'The Sorrow Songs: folk songs of black British experience') and Maria Heseltine, as well as Kelsey's daughter, May Robson (MAY). Acoustic bassist Ben Kypreos and percussionist Greg Dyer also contribute to this album's sound with rich harmony and a magically fresh sound.
Earlier, Kelsey Michael shared the feel-good 'Mounts Bay Morning' and the Jobim- and Morricone-influenced lead track 'Music Of The Waves', the video for which features the lush landscape that is so inspirational to her, with images of hedgerow, shore and moors thrown up to catch the light, along with a tumble of beautiful Cornish place names.
Named for the Isles of Scilly freight ship, folklore-filled sea ballad 'Gry Maritha' serenades this hardy blue boat in rhapsodic style - think Gerry and The Pacemaker’s 'Ferry across the Mersey 'in session with The Carpenters. Telling multiple stories, it touches on the folklore of the waters of the Scilly crossing whilst simultaneously uncovering hidden moments of a mother and child whose daily rhythms overlap with the ship’s departure and return.
'Tide Comes In / The Crossing' gets real about rural poverty in Penzance, still finding cause to celebrate the resilience, creativity and community support networks so often invisible to visitors. The inevitable ebb and flow of the tides gives certainty in troubled times when it can feel there is little to rely on.
This immersive music experience comes home to the wonder of small domestic moments in 'Washing Line', featuring exquisitely phrased guest vocals by Angeline Morrison. By hanging the stuff of our lives on the washing line, so to speak, we are able to gain perspective, let go of habitual obstacles and move on. In this final song, we are given musical headspace and a moment to pour some balm on modern life.
'Lethowsow' is out now on CD and vinyl via Dimple Discs, and is also available digitally via Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.
TRACK LIST
1. Gry Maritha 05:07
2. Music Of The Waves 04:38
3. Mounts Bay Morning 04:40
4. Tide Comes In / The Crossing 04:15
5. Swimming 03:42
6. Washing Line 04:17
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