Patsy Matheson - Stories Of Angels & Guitars (2012)

Solo CD from Waking the Witch member , features beautifully crafted new songs on acoustic guitar and mandolin and layer upon layer of sumptuous vocal harmonies. After 20 years of making records, I wanted 'Stories' to be different. I'd originally intended to do something I'd never done before: start off with no deadline, without a pre planned list of songs, play all the instruments and sing all the harmonies myself and only go to the studio once a week...in other words, take off the pressure' - Patsy Matheson. After two years in production, the album is finished. Virtually as intended, but with the addition of Hugh Whitaker (The Housemartins) on drums and Jon Short (Deep Sky Divers) on double bass. (Says Patsy, 'I did have a go at playing drums and bass, but thankfully failed my own audition!'). It contains ten beautifully crafted new songs written and performed by Patsy on acoustic guitar, mandolin, glockenspiel, xylophone and percussion and featuring layer upon layer of sumptuously arranged vocal harmonies. 'Stories of Angels & Guitars' is the fourth solo album from the woman who not only penned many of the acclaimed all-female band, Waking the Witch's best loved songs, but who was also responsible for setting up the band and managing them through their five successful years in the UK acoustic scene. When the band broke up in 2008, Patsy hit the ground running, very quickly releasing the critically acclaimed solo album 'Little Piece of England'. She had been a successful solo artist for some time before Waking the Witch was formed, having already released two albums, performed solo at Glastonbury and toured with the likes of Christy Moore and Gordon Giltrap. Throughout 2010 and 2011, she completed several tours of the UK accompanied by the legendary singer songwriter Clive Gregson whom she has known since he was on the panel of judges in a songwriting competition at Beverley Folk Festival that she won in 1991! The new album, co-produced and engineered by Phil Snell (of Alistair Hulett's, The Malkies) ranges from the fragile and folky ('Sylvia Jean', a tragic romance set in 1950's Cold War England, and the album opener, 'Under Your Wing', already a live favourite in UK acoustic clubs, to the almost traditional bluesy 'No Angel' with its catchy mandolin solo and the late night jazz tinged 'If You Ask Me'), all of which demonstrate Matheson's ability to uniquely put into words ' the full range of human strengths, feelings, weaknesses and emotions'