It seems that everything Sam Lee attempts turns out to be just a little bit magical, and both his reinvention of Folk Song and his rededication to the craft of capturing songs from their Traditional singers has worked to prove the truth of that statement. There are only a few musicians in any generation that really bring both a new musical ear and also a deep appreciation of the source material to bear on English folk, and Sam Lee is one of those few musicians.
Following on from his previous two releases, Sam Lee has announced that the New Year will see the release of his latest recordings in the form of ‘Old Wow‘ (31st January on Cooking Vinyl). ‘Old Wow‘ was produced by Bernard Butler and features Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser, the music that makes it up draws on American spirituals, Romany Gypsy songs and traditional English standards, and is, says Lee, “Music that simultaneously looks back into the past and ahead to the future. An urgent cry to help inspire us all to fall back in love with the natural world that we might strengthen our resolve to protect her.”
A first single has been released – a reworking of ‘The Seeds of Love’ as a new song ‘The Garden of England’ which links in to Sam Lee’s environmental concerns. The accompanying video represents, he says, a wish to “portray myself and others as being part of the landscape; naturally embedded in it. To give a sense of what the Garden of England could look like as a truly integrated garden and wilderness, a re-enchantment of that world. I also wanted to suggest that idea of us as guardians of the natural world, and how songs have been our hymns in that process.”
Sam Lee will be on tour through January and February 2020 at the following venues:
31 January 2020 Newcastle Cluny
01 February 2020 Manchester Night and Day
03 February 2020 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
04 February 2020 Leeds City Varieties
05 February 2020 Birmingham Glee
06 February 2020 Exeter Phoenix
07 February 2020 Bodmin St Petroc’s Church
08 February 2020 Lyme Regis Marine Theatre
10 February 2020 Cambridge Junction 2
13 February 2020 Brighton St George’s
15 February 2020 Canterbury Colyer-Fergusson Hall
16 February 2020 Norwich Open
17 February 2020 London EartH
19 February 2020 Bristol St George’s
21 February 2020 Cardiff The Gate
