Just months after the farewell tour of the acclaimed all-female band she founded, Waking the Witch, Patsy Matheson has hit the ground running. She is about to release a stunning solo acoustic album, A Little Piece of England – her first solo recording in 11 years.
Critics and fans alike were surprised and dismayed when the award-winning Waking the Witch announced they were calling it a day after three albums and five successful years on the road. Yorkshire-based Patsy, Jools Parker, Rachel Goodwin and Becky Mills, whose enviable song writing skills and harmonies had been likened to a female Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, had decided it was time to pursue other avenues.
Patsy, had been a successful solo artist for some time before Waking the Witch was formed. She had already released two albums, performed solo at Glastonbury and supported the likes of Al Stewart, Christy Moore, John Martyn, Gordon Giltrap, Dick Gaughan, Glenn Tilbrook and The Saw Doctors.
Now re-affirming her strength as a genre-hopping solo artist, Patsy, who penned some of Waking the Witch's best loved numbers, has written a new collection of 10 diverse songs – some fragile and folk-inflected; others strident and more rocky; some vintage Matheson and others striking off in a bold new protest song direction.
Produced by multi-instrumentalist Sam Bartholomew, who also sings and plays guitars on the album, electronic intervention is kept to a minimum. Virtually all recorded in single takes, the result is a warm and up close acoustic affair, accentuating every note and nuance and showcasing the instruments brilliantly.
Says Patsy: “The album was mainly recorded using two very old, beautiful and battle scarred American acoustic guitars – a 1930s Gibson L-00 and a 1965 Epiphone Texan. Sam also plays a 1930s Regal tenor guitar and there's a big Guild acoustic and a little German Zenith.”
Unlike her previous recordings (With My Boots On 1996 and Breathe Me 1997) Patsy decided against multi-tracking her own vocals for harmonies. “After working with the Witches, it would have seemed really strange to sing along with myself. I love the textures provided by different people's voices so this time I've used some male vocals from Sam and others by the excellent Gina Dootson .“ Chumbawhamba's Harry Hamer also joins the line-up on percussion.
Contrasting with a CD booklet of flamboyant artwork, the album is a subtle snapshot of England in song. Weaving a light and shade tapestry of English people and places around more personal numbers it manages to feel both nostalgic and contemporary, highlighting her intuitive lightness of touch.
“Most of the songs evolved from my observations on things that are quite English”, she says. The album references Yorkshire where Patsy has lived for many years, Surrey where she grew up, the Lake District which she loves and Wroxham in Norfolk where her grandparents lived in a riverside cottage. Songs range from the mellow Sunday Morning Song to the rootsy Ulverston Gypsy , the haunting Amy Winehouse-inspired Lamb to Slaughter and her take on the Iraqi war in Precious Little Soldier. Of the moving title track, which closes the album, Patsy says: “That was written about my home, which is a little piece of Fulneck, Yorkshire , with a totally marvellous English view!”
See reviews of "A Little Piece of England".
''Patsy writes skilfully and intelligently…this could have a profound effect on you if you allow it to''
Allan Wilkinson - www.folkandroots.co.uk
"This is not only a musically glorious album – it's also a statement that Patsy Matheson, solo performer, is back and better than ever"
www.womensradio.com
"Beautiful and haunting – a real poet and musician at work"
Halifax Courier
"Patsy has a vocal range that can melt the heart"
www.womensradio.com
"One quarter of now defunct acoustic darlings Waking the Witch, Matheson's new collection of songs; distinctive, often plaintive guitar sound and honeycomb vocals single her out as a talent demanding to be heard in her own right"
Halifax Courier
"A bunch of great new songs in a gently intricate sound world – experiences and feelings common to all of us are rarely voiced with such percipient sensitivity and powerful honesty as here"
Netrhythms
"Fans of Waking the Witch won't be disappointed – it's a bold move away from what's gone before and she has the skill to carry it off wonderfully"
Spiral Earth
"Rising phoenix like from the ashes of the much-missed Waking the Witch, Patsy Matheson returns with a hugely powerful album that absorbs love, life and politics"
FATEA (Cambridge & Beyond) Magazine
''A very classy album with just that little touch of grit in it''
Steve Wilcock, Triste Magazine
''Picking out the highlights is hard as all the songs on here are strong both musically and lyrically'' ****1/2
Jason Ritchie, Get Ready To Rock, Classic Rock Newswire
"One quarter of now defunct acoustic darlings Waking the Witch, Matheson's new collection of songs; distinctive, often plaintive guitar sound and honeycomb vocals single her out as a talent demanding to be heard in her own right"
Halifax Courier
‘’Wonderful stuff, full of energy and driving rhythms – Lamb to Slaughter is awesome’’
Phil Brown, presenter, The Drift, BBC Radio Lancs
‘’Painting by song is a good way to sum up this album… celebrate a new beginning for Patsy’’
Graeme Scott, presenter, Leith fm