ODETTE MICHELL
Queen Of The Lowlands

Right, we will set the scene with the good news, before we move on to the better news. Odette Michele’s new album features contributions from the likes of Fairport’s Chris Leslie, both members of Ninebarrow, the now solo Phil Beer, Lukas Drinkwater offers double bass and Vicki Swann on small pipes – all produced by Megson’s Stu Hanna. There are also a couple of vocal guests, but more of that later!

With a line up like that, you know that you are in for a treat, and so it proves to be.

With all tracks written by Odette, she covers the range of the folk canon, there’s history, mystery, cautionary tales of fair maids venturing where they should know better, love, loss and death – all without cliché, but definitely a little knowing in places. Just as the subjects are varied, so is the delivery, from self-accompanied singer-songwriter (she is no mean exponent of the guitar or bouzouki) to spirited, up tempo offerings that hint delightfully at folk-rock. However, what holds it all together is the voice, not just as a thing of beauty but, also as a character within her own songs, delivering them as they were conceived and intended. There is still room for a couple of collaborations, with Liverpool singer Calum Gilligan, and a welcome reprise of the title track from the Michell, Pfieffer and Kulesh trio album, where, along with the co-writer, the ever-compelling Daria Kulesh, they beautifully deliver the message that fair maids in the greenwood should always not be underestimated.

Already exciting the playlists of broadcasters and the words of reviewers near and far, you can also expect to see it mentioned when the great and the good reflect on whatever has excited their ears over the past year. Have a listen if you can, you won’t regret it – she may be a Yorkshire lass of exotic heritage, but she still manages to celebrate God’s own region with a song of St Helens!

Visit Odette Michele’s website