Dreams of Breathing Underwater [CD]

The daughter of acclaimed British folk artists Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson, Eliza Carthy has long been one of the major protagonists in the UK neo-folk renaissance. A dedicated and passionate artist, Carthy is also highly eclectic, as evinced on previous albums such as Red Rice, which blended drum & bass with folk fiddle amongst other unusual but largely successful experiments. Dreams Of Breathing Underwater is Carthy's seventh solo record and is predictably unpredictable. Opening with the 12-bar blues "Follow The Dollar", the album shapeshifts through the ethereal "Hug You Like A Mountain" and "Lavenders", the meandering "Rosalie", the funereal "Two Tears" and the captivating "Mr Magnifico" - right up to the dramatic, swinging denouement "Oranges And Seasalt". Carthy’s vocals are as mercurial as her arrangements as she switches from angelic to angry, poignant to potent. There's never a dull moment as the songs flit insouciantly between Latin and reggae, electronica and blues, further underlining Carthy's skill as a songwriter and her imagination as an artiste.

It's hard to believe now, with the sheer volume of new acoustic heroes banging on about the virtues of folk, that there was a time when the whole genre was viewed as a musty old bag of bearded fustiness. One of the main reasons it's managed to shed such negative connotations is the hard work and constant invention of Eliza Carthy. There may be a plethora of folk evangelists now, but a few short years back, it felt like Eliza was about all we had to push things forward and out into the mainstream.

And push she has. Amongst her back catalogue, there's the double album Red Rice, where drum and bass meets folk fiddle, and Rough Music: a very modern exploration of the traditional country music of England. She is, it has to be said, never predictable.

Even so, that Dreams Of Breathing Underwater opens with a blues guitar, rather than her brilliant violin, comes as something of a shock, and it's not the only one to be found on the album, her seventh solo collection.

Dreams of Breathing Underwater is penned almost entirely by Eliza and writing partner Ben Ivitsky. Only the downbeat ghostliness of Hug You Like A Mountain comes from another hand: Rory MacLeod. It's an album which, even by Carthy's own standards, is pretty random, in the best way possible.

From the ethereal wonder of Lavenders, through the swelling, swaying meander of Rosalie, the squeeze-box comedic heartbreak of Little Bigman and the thrilling finale of Oranges And Seasalt, which is easily the best and most honest drinking song written for many a year, the majority of the experimentation works. Though the aforementioned opening blues number Follow The Dollar, feels increasingly dull as the rest of the album unfolds behind it.

The fact that it works is partly due to the musicianship on offer - there are turns for rambunctious folk duo, Spiers and Boden, Edinburgh rock 'n' rollers, Mystery Juice, and Scottish songstress, Eddi Reader, amongst others - and is partly down to the thoughtful songwriting, which never overfills the songs, allowing them to breathe and flourish. It can also be put down to Eliza's magnificent voice, the depth and richness of which can now comfortably sit next to her mother, Norma Waterson's, as one of the finest you will ever hear.

Dreams Of Breathing Underwater is a brilliant album that deserves applause as much for its occasional failures as it does for its multiple successes, as indeed does Eliza Carthy herself. Never one to rest on her laurels, this album shows just why she is one of music's, and not just folk's, most important and innovative artists. --Chris Long

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"The one indisputable young star of British folk."


"The one indisputable young star of British folk."

"There are some folkies who sound as sweet as a butterfly, then there's Eliza Carthy.... Singing sensation Eliza Carthy combines earthy vocals with a fusion of musical genres."

Eliza Carthy is undoubtedly one of the most impressive and engaging performers of her generation. Winner of 2 Nationwide Mercury Prize nominations and innumerable other accolades over a 15 year career, Eliza has performed and recorded with a diverse array of artists from Paul Weller to Rufus and Martha Wainwright, from Nick Cave to Joan Baez. This latest album is her second which is self-penned (bar one track,'Hug You Like A Mountain' by Rory McLeod). Released via her long standing (and truly independent ) label, Topic Records, it has been co-produced by Ben Ivitsky in Edinburgh. The 12 tracks not only showcase an inventive, innovative singer and fiddle-player, but also reveal Eliza as a gifted musical conceptualist. Powerful, vital and exuberant rhythms, absorbed from her travels around the globe, characterise this highly original album. Percussion, bass, brass and a chamber orchestra weave a rich tapestry against which to display her incomparable voice. A range of accomplished performers and fellow musicians, including Eddi Reader and Toby Shippey (Salsa Celtica), provide excellent support. Describing herself simply as a 'modern British musician', she has become one of the most dazzling musicians of a generation. She has more than most, revitalised folk music and captured the most hardened of dissenters with intelligent, charismatic and boundary-crossing performance. Fearless, colourful and maverick in the best tradition of English songwriters, this release presses Carthy's many and varied skills into action Tracks: Follow The Dollar / Two Tears / Rows Of Angels / Rosalie / Mr. Magnifico / Like I Care (Wings) / Lavenders / Little Bigman / Simple Things / Hug You Like A Mountain / Oranges And Seasalt ...

Eliza Carthy is the remarkable daughter of Martin and Norma, who sings in the rich Waterson women's style. However, there is no doubt that she quickly established herself as an artist very much in her own right. Whilst her commitment to the British tradition is unquestionable, she has also injected original compositions and traditional tunes alike with contemporary electronic and dub effects.

Twice-nominated for a prestigious Nationwide Mercury Prize (Red Rice (1998) and Anglicana (2003) Eliza is also the winner of more than five BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In 2003 she became the first traditional English musician to be nominated a BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music (for Anglicana).

In March 2005, Eliza co-presented the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards with Benjamin Zephaniah - an event that was broadcast on BBC Four. She has been a regular guest-presenter on the BBC Radio 2 Mark Radcliffe Show and has made several appearances on BBC TVs 'Later with Jools'. In addition, Eliza has presented her own four part series on the history of English Folk on BBC Radio 2 and was also the subject of an hour long ITV documentary 'Heaven & Earth' and in April 2008 is the subject of another documentary on Channel 5. Eliza featured prominently in the acclaimed BBC Four Folk Britannia season.

From an early age Eliza was championed by John Peel and Billy Bragg. She's featured on Billy's Grammy winning album with Wilco, 'Mermaid Avenue'. In 2006, she appeared on 'Rogues Gallery' an album created by Hal Wilner and Johnny Depp, also featuring Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry and Richard Thompson and in 2007, made a significant contribution to another collaborative project, 'Imagined Villlage' (Realworld).

In 2008 Eliza won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Best Traditional Track for Cold Haily Rainy Night alongside Martin Carthy and Chris Wood as part of The Imagined Village project.