Karen Matheson - Still Time (2021) [Hi-Res]

The opening acoustic cinematic sway of lead single 'Cassiopeia Coming Through' heralds the arrival of the much anticipated new music from revered Scottish folk songstress Karen Matheson. Still Time is a collection of contemporary and traditional sounding songs featuring an intoxicating palette of sonic textures wrapped around that instantly recognisable voice. Featuring piano and production by Donald Shaw, the album was a creative discovery from this summer's unexpected lockdown. Widely recognised as the compelling voice of Celtic super-group Capercaillie, Karen's life in the limelight began with her performing as a child in her local village hall in Argyll on the West coast of Scotland, where she was brought up immersed in the deep well of traditional songs that have been her inspiration for over 35 years of recording and performing worldwide. Highlights have included sharing the stage with Pete Seeger in New York and performing at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where her stunning rendition of 'Ae fond kiss' stole the show to a televised audience of over 600 million people. She has released four acclaimed solo albums. For 'The Dreaming Sea' (1996) & 'Time to Fall' (2004), many of the songs were written by acclaimed singer-songwriter James Grant (Love & Money) and feature the Scottish Ensemble on strings. On 'Downriver' from 2010, she worked with Irelands legendary producer Donal Lunny to create an award-winning acoustic album, which provided the perfect platform for her mesmerizing vocals. In 2015 she released 'Urram' (Respect) - a collection of timeless Gaelic songs that evoke the character of her Hebridean roots, through waulking songs, love songs, lullabies, mouth music and evocative poems to the surroundings. The sound of the album is engagingly contemporary in its ambition though, with guest musicians including Seiko Keita (Senegal) on African kora, Soumik Datta (India) on Sarod, Scotlands Mr. McFalls chamber on strings.