Kelsey Michael presents stunning debut 'Lethowsow' album, combining classic pop & indie folk

Kelsey Michael presents stunning debut 'Lethowsow' album, combining classic pop & indie folk

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 order  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


British artist Kelsey Michael has released her debut solo album 'Lethowsow' via Peckham-based label Dimple Discs, channeling her love of such 60s-70s piano singer-songwriters as Laura Nyro and Carole King. This 7-track offering has a contemporary art-pop edge, showcasing dynamic vocals, uplifting feel-good ‘classic’ pop and hypnotic shruti-box 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

CREDITS
Music, lyrics and arrangement by Kelsey Michael
All tracks recorded by Robin Tyndale-Biscoe.
'Music Of The Waves', 'Gry Maritha', 'Mounts Bay Morning', 'Tide Comes In / The Crossing' recorded at Lemonade Factory Studio, Falmouth, UK
'Washing' Line' recorded at Amata Falmouth
'Swimming' recorded at St Mary’s Church, Penzance
Additional vocals, guest singers & acoustic piano recorded by Kelsey Michael at The Rooftop Studio, Penzance and piano at St Mary’s Church, Penzance
Harp recorded by Benjin Musiq
Produced and mixed by Kelsey Michael & Robin Tyndale-Biscoe
Mastered by Charlie Francis at Synergy Mastering, Wales, UK
Kelsey Michael - pianos, keyboards, shruti-box and vocals.
Greg Dyer - drums
Ben Kypreos - acoustic bass on 'Music Of The Waves', 'Gry Maritha', 'Mounts Bay Morning' & 'Washing Line'
Benjin Musiq (Benjin Pollock) - harp on 'Gry Maritha' and 'Swimming'
Angeline Morrison - vocals on 'Washing Line' and 'Mounts Bay Morning'
Maria Heseltine - vocals on 'Mounts Bay Morning' and 'Music Of The Waves'
May Robson (MAY) - vocals on 'Music Of The Waves'
Treve Nicol - Acoustic bass on 'Tide Comes In'
Cover photography by May Robson
Cover design by Bruce Brand at Arthole
'Music Of The Waves' video filmed, directed and produced by Kelsey Michael
Edited by Kelsey Michael & Rob Flint
Additional footage by Kyra Norman
Funded by Creative Kernow, Cultivator Cornwall, Arts Council, Cornwall Council, the EU and HM government
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR


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