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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. 6am Corner |
| 2. Innocent When You Dream |
| 3. Come With Me |
| 4. Before It Goes |
| 5. Blue Fields |
| 6. Frame |
| 7. Grey Goes |
| 8. Weather Forever |
| 9. Shoulders |
| 10. Armchair |
| 11. Rolling Down |
| 12. All |
| 13. Holes In Your Life |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Kathryn Williams has a voice like a tatty old pair of slippers. Which might seem an unkind thing to say, but the point is that when she starts singing you're overcome with that immediate warm rush of familiarity, your shoulders retreat from their uniform rigidity and every tension point in your body dissipates like a circular ripple on a lake's surface. And she has proven herself time and time again, since 2000's Mercury-nominated Little Black Numbers, with delicate, discerning folk music, weaving a consuming web of light and shade across life's small details. She is a tested comfort. We could have more charitably likened her to a scented bath in low light, or melting honey on a warm knife, but that aligns her too closely to the Katie Melua's of this world (who, comparatively, she makes look like Barbie in leg warmers). On Two she carries on to much the same irrefutable standard as before, only this time in beautiful cohorts with Neill MacColl (half-brother of Kirsty, formerly of Eddi Reader and David Gray's bands), who adds complementary haunting tones to Kathryn's leading voice on "Armchair", "Weather Forever" and "Innocent When You Dream" and guitars that spin and pirouette like a pair alone on an empty ballroom floor followed by a doting spotlight. They are immediately compatible and together they spin a rich tapestry, from the Nick Drake-esque simplicity of "6am Corner", to the bleak seduction of double-bass heavy "Grey Goes" to the lavish string arrangements of "Shoulders". --James Berry
Review
It just isn't possible that there will be a sweeter, more sincere album released this year than this plaintively bittersweet collection of duets from adopted Geordie songstress Kathryn Williams and scion of a venerable English folk-music family, Neill MacColl.
Written, recorded and mixed in a little over two weeks, Two is a miniature marvel, the sort of album you want to keep jealously to yourself but feel compelled to tell complete strangers who catch your eye in the street about. Just do it. They'll thank you for it.
Nominated for the Mercury Music prize in 2000 for the equally but differently exquisite Little Black Numbers, Williams has carved out a singular niche for herself across a six-album career and courted comparisons to Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Dylan and the Velvet Underground. All very flattering but all failing to quite encompass the delicious individuality of the soft-as-the-finest-Eiderdown pillow voice and a musical sensibility of bewitching sensitivity.
Add the rippling summer brook-voiced MacColl Â- think Clifford T Ward crossed with Sandy Denny (I know,I know!) - to the equation and the combination of the two becomes completely spellbinding.
''Small, sketchy pieces, not Big Art'', Williams says of her songs and that's exactly the appeal of them. They're personal, private statements, intimate and confessional, honest and uncluttered by musical affectation or poetic posturing. Which is precisely why they sing out so deliciously.
Opening track 6am Corner is gossamer perfect, the single Come With Me a wistful invitation not to be refused, Before It Goes steals the melody from Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart to make it its own, Armchair imbues love with a to-be-wished-for domesticity and Blue Fields transports you into a bucolic reverie not to be lightly surrendered.
MacColl occasionally disappears into the background but makes his presence felt as useful descanted ballast in a cover of Tom Waits' black-edged ballad Innocent When You Dream.
If Phill Brown's discretely eloquent production, gently infused with cello, double bass and percussion, relies a touch too much on understatement throughout (there's nothing here to quite match the emotional intensity of 2006's Leave to Remain or Old Low Light from 2002), Two is none the worse for that and remains a disc that is to be cherished from first note to last. --Michael Quinn
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
`Two' does what it says on the casing and introduces the collaboration of two of the biggest (or certainly best) names in modern folk (erm...mofo?!) on one album, you lucky, lucky things! If you like Kathryn or Neill's previous work you won't be disappointed, there is just the right mix of both of their styles and the combination of their voices and guitar styles is incredibly effective. Occasional melotron or dulcimer adds to the impact of the songs. Maybe `impact' is the wrong word because, like Williams' previous albums, it won't hit you immediately like a chart-bound foot stomper, but herein lies its brilliance because this album will creep up on you and stay in your head and heart like a dear friend. The lyrics are amazing as usual too, with the `ordinary' used as metaphor and highlighting deeper emotions, for instance:
"look at that painting on the hotel wall seen by lonely eyes, don't go into hotels looking for dreams, don't go into them with thoughts of your life" (`Frame') or
"with my big net, I'm catching colours...I used black and white on how you hurt me" (`Grey Goes') or...many, many others!
This album is great, the production really draws out the best of Neill and Kathryn and their combination together is amazing. I'm a big fan of Williams (can you tell?!) and I really love Neill's bluegrass-y tenor harmonies in combination with her voice, for example on Tom Waits' `Innocent when you Dream'.
The first reviewer appears to have bought this album because he likes male/female duos. Well, this in itself isn't necessarily indicative of musical style or genre - for instance if you're looking for Elton John and Kiki Dee then you won't find it here. However, if you like Eddi Reader, Nick Drake or even the mellower side of Be Good Tanyas then this is a good place to start. If you're thinking of buying it just because you like MacColl or Williams' previous work then you're gonna love it!
"look at that painting on the hotel wall seen by lonely eyes, don't go into hotels looking for dreams, don't go into them with thoughts of your life" (`Frame') or
"with my big net, I'm catching colours...I used black and white on how you hurt me" (`Grey Goes') or...many, many others!
This album is great, the production really draws out the best of Neill and Kathryn and their combination together is amazing. I'm a big fan of Williams (can you tell?!) and I really love Neill's bluegrass-y tenor harmonies in combination with her voice, for example on Tom Waits' `Innocent when you Dream'.
The first reviewer appears to have bought this album because he likes male/female duos. Well, this in itself isn't necessarily indicative of musical style or genre - for instance if you're looking for Elton John and Kiki Dee then you won't find it here. However, if you like Eddi Reader, Nick Drake or even the mellower side of Be Good Tanyas then this is a good place to start. If you're thinking of buying it just because you like MacColl or Williams' previous work then you're gonna love it!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
These two created their musical partnership after a random pairing on a concert bill (2005's Daughters of Albion concert in Cork). There must have been much mutual intuition floating about in the sessions because they sound like they've been playing together for years. Kathryn has said that "the whole experience was the musical equivalent of standing naked in front of the person you love and wanting them to like you." In various sheds and garages (independent artists always say that! But Kathryn wouldn't lie to us, would she?!), they recorded twenty one songs in six days, whittling them down to the thirteen released on this record.
A hushed, homely atmosphere wraps itself around the songs, with Williams and MacColl sharing vocals (although the latter sometimes pales into the background) and guitar-playing. MacColl has added the dulcimer and autoharp and Williams the organ, harmonium and melotron. Suffice to say that it makes for an astoundingly quiet and intimate album - "like warm honey on a summers day" as someone has said. There is a hidden bite to some of the lyrics: "I used black and white on how you hurt me" (Grey Goes) expresses a rare bitterness; and "I'll sweeten you like sugar when the world has been f*#!ing with you" (Armchair) lets a little of the wind of the outside world blow into their introspective, sheltered bubble. Kathryn's lyrical trademark - understated melancholy - is here. On Blue Fields, for example (one of the first songs she wrote, but which never worked alone) she asks, "What am I if not looked at by you? Will I disappear?" and on the final track "One day the days and nights will have meaning / Then I can get my diary out...".
A hushed, homely atmosphere wraps itself around the songs, with Williams and MacColl sharing vocals (although the latter sometimes pales into the background) and guitar-playing. MacColl has added the dulcimer and autoharp and Williams the organ, harmonium and melotron. Suffice to say that it makes for an astoundingly quiet and intimate album - "like warm honey on a summers day" as someone has said. There is a hidden bite to some of the lyrics: "I used black and white on how you hurt me" (Grey Goes) expresses a rare bitterness; and "I'll sweeten you like sugar when the world has been f*#!ing with you" (Armchair) lets a little of the wind of the outside world blow into their introspective, sheltered bubble. Kathryn's lyrical trademark - understated melancholy - is here. On Blue Fields, for example (one of the first songs she wrote, but which never worked alone) she asks, "What am I if not looked at by you? Will I disappear?" and on the final track "One day the days and nights will have meaning / Then I can get my diary out...".
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
As a fan of Kathryn's work over the years, and a follower of Neill's work in The Bible, Liberty Horses and beyond, I can honestly say that this CD combines the best of both worlds. The co-written songs definitely have their own new identity, you don't think "That's Kathryn" or "That's Neill".
It's a great recording, no trickery and hence very real and warm-sounding. If you like the sound of acoustic guitars and close-miked vocals, with a pastoral feel, then this will appeal.
I hope they do another.
It's a great recording, no trickery and hence very real and warm-sounding. If you like the sound of acoustic guitars and close-miked vocals, with a pastoral feel, then this will appeal.
I hope they do another.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Melodically and Lyrically beautiful.
Collaborations can sometimes be a bit gimmicky.There have been many around lately undeserving of the hype they have received. Read more
Published 7 months ago by JP
Beautiful music
My first Kathryn Williams CD (and Neil MaColl) and I love it. So melodic and haunting.
Published on 30 April 2010 by T. Baraclough
A difficult one...
I was torn between giving this album 2 or 2.5 stars,
knowing I can't give this one 2.5 so the final rating is 2. Read more
knowing I can't give this one 2.5 so the final rating is 2. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2008 by B. T. Duc
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