Lisa Redford

Every so often a CD by an totally new, unknown artist comes along and just knocks you sideways. That happened for me last year when SLIPSTREAM, the debut album by singer-songwriter Lisa Redford, landed in my CD player. Slipstream is an amalgam of heartache, fervour and triumph, sung with authority and passion...In a sea of smart female singer-songwriters, Lisa Redford is an admiral.'
Maverick Magazine **** - Maverick Magazine

'this is no clumsy pastiche of other people's work, it's a distinct and individual disc that more than stands up on its own as a strong collection of new material. This is possibly the best independent UK singer/songwriter disc we've heard over the past 5 years...Highly recommended.' - Fish Record

The 12 songs (11 originals plus one Neal Casal cover) are well written and all have an Americana feel, thanks in no small part to the contributions from producer Gabriel Minnikin (ex member of The Guthries) who provides excellent multi-instrumental support throughout.
Lisa�s writing is personal and direct yet easily accessible; this immediacy is partly due to the strong melodies throughout and most of the songs have great hooks that stay with you, in particular the radio friendly �Lost Again� and the more considered and delicate �Dragonfly�. This contrast in styles is evident throughout, and the album has a good variety of songs and is well paced throughout and it moves from upbeat to acoustic tracks easily.
Her own acoustic guitar work is added to by a good variety of instruments including banjo, mandolin, strings, dobro and pedal steel that give the disc a gentle Americana/roots feel.
�Lost Again� really delivers on the promise shown on her debut disc � memorable songs, strong vocals and sweet melodies combine to make an excellent album. - Fish Records

It was also wonderful to discover why everyone thinks so highly of Lisa Redford. She was lovely…bright, enthusiastic and talented. She works incredibly hard and takes a hands-on role in all aspects of her career, from recording, pressing and releasing her own CD’s to booking her own tours. .. her second album ‘Lost Again’, contains a superb version of Neal Casal’s ‘Fell On Hard Times’…just voice and guitar. She exactly locates and expresses the plaintive emotion of the song.
Bob Harris writing about Lisa and her live Radio 2 session in Maverick magazine issue 56 - Maverick Magazine

one of the most captivating records of its kind that I've received for review this year...while Lost Again is manifestly a continuation in terms of Lisa's deeply felt yet recognisably smart songwriting, and its basic idiom remains exquisite melodic country-tinged acoustic pop, the album is definitely and consciously more "produced", with significantly increased instrumentation and beautiful (and imaginative) arrangements to envelop Lisa's trademark stunning voice and acoustic guitar and complement her reflective, heartfelt and emotionally-charged (without being overwrought) lyrics...the end result is heart-meltingly good...Play this rapturously good CD just once, and you'll definitely want to get lost again (and again, and again…) in its charms, I just know it!
- Netrhythms

With the onslaught of new singer-songwriters around being touted as the ‘new whoever‘, it’s easy to be sceptical about going out to see anyone new to the scene or up and coming. However, at Manchester’s Night n Day on a cold March night, singer-songwriter Lisa Redford held an audience totally captivated and cheering for more. Making her debut at the respected venue, Lisa, who usually plays solo or with the brilliant Alan Cook on pedal steel and dobro, was joined this time by James Youngjohns on violin from the lovely Manchester based band Anna Kashfi. Not a total newcomer either, Lisa has already released two highly acclaimed independent albums Slipstream and the latest, Lost Again, which was produced by ex Guthrie Gabriel Minnikin. Both albums have received airplay and praise on Bob Harris‘s Radio 2 shows and contain all original material written by Lisa as well as a stunning live cover of Neal Casal’s Fell on Hard Times which appears on Lost Again.

Starting with the lilting melody of the catchy title track from the latest album, highlights in the set include the beautifully nostalgic Dragonfly with the combination of Lisa‘s finger picking and James‘ violin working especially well here, adding a moody and haunting quality. The song has already received much acclaim as it was featured on a Bob Harris ‘Best of British‘ special and it‘s easy to hear why. Lyrically, the song tells the story of a road trip and Lisa’s voice begins in a very low sultry tone during the verses before hitting an incredibly high falsetto in the uplifting chorus. Other highlights include a song from Slipstream, the wonderful heartbreak ballad Don’t Tell Me that really reveals the raw strength of Lisa’s powerful voice, and brand new song, the punchy Come Back Down, that has a very memorable hook. Lisa’s songs have a very classic feel, like she is carrying on that singer-songwriter lineage from the likes of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. However, the songs also possess a strong Americana influence that makes her own distinct sound. Her songs to me evoke a female Teddy Thompson or Josh Rouse, and the afore-mentioned Casal, she shares that same gift for writing deceptively simple, gorgeously melodic and well-crafted songs.

Inbetween songs Lisa is charming, funny and very natural, as if she’s been performing forever. Like her American contemporaries Mindy Smith and Tift Merritt, she has bundles of charisma and stage presence, possessing that same ability to leave you spellbound by the emotion of her voice and onstage personality. Live, her voice really has immense power yet great control too and reminds me of the same heart worn tender vibrato of a young Emmylou Harris. Lisa’s voice is purer with a warm timbre, but has that same raw emotion in her voice that makes you feel she has lived through all the heartbreak she sings and writes about.

Having already supported the likes of Chuck Prophet, Eileen Rose, The Deadstring Brothers, The Arlenes, and Peter Mulvey, Lisa is most definitely one to watch. Don’t miss her performing at festivals this summer or on her future supports to Jeff Black, Corb Lund and Gina Villalobos.

Live Review from Manchester Night n Day March 23 2006 from Americana UK - Americana UK

Excellent new album from Lisa Redford, after her previous two excellent solo albums, 'Clouds with Silver' really delivers on the promise obvious in 'Lost Again' & 'Slipstream'.

Recorded mostly in New York City, the album is co-produced with Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson), and is a mixture of acoustic songs and full band tracks, including two tracks with strings from David Henry and Claudia Chopek.

The album has an acoustic and intimate feel, but her work in NYC over the past few years has given her songwriting and delivery a more confident feel; the strong melodies of the previous albums are carried over here onto this disc, but the songwriting, performances, production and overall feel of the album feels much more accomplished.

While Lisa�s songwriting has developed over the last few albums, the one constant is the melody led acoustic feel to all her work � it�s still present here and the addition of more instrumentation really fleshes out the overall sound.

The eleven songs have a personal, heartfelt feel and the standout songs come from both the quieter acoustic songs and the more dynamic tracks; the highlights here include �Come Back Down�, �NY Song� and �When You Come Home�, but in truth the whole album works well as a sequence of songs.
�Clouds with Silver� is a real step up in sound for Lisa, the quality and profile of the guests are guaranteed to raise her profile both here and the US, and this is an album that will bring her to an even wider audience.

- Fish Records

tend not to trust the unsolicited package, the "sent you this CD because I thought you might like it" approach, unless it comes from or via the recommendation of someone I respect - which in this case it did. And thanks aplenty, for it's probably one of the most captivating records of its kind that I've received for review this year. Bald facts then: Lisa's a singer-songwriter; she's based, so far as I can tell, in Norfolk, although this, her second, CD was recorded in Manchester, at Airtight.

It's a different animal to Lisa's first release, 2003's self-produced and self-financed Slipstream, which made a virtue of a compellingly natural acoustic-based performance in order to showcase her rapidly developing songwriting skills (even though it featured a small handful of other musicians). Although Slipstream's special qualities and virtues were rightly praised by the music press and Bob Harris, Lisa has decided to adopt a different approach for the followup; so, while Lost Again is manifestly a continuation in terms of Lisa's deeply felt yet recognisably smart songwriting, and its basic idiom remains exquisite melodic country-tinged acoustic pop, the album is definitely and consciously more "produced", with significantly increased instrumentation and beautiful (and imaginative) arrangements to envelop Lisa's trademark stunning voice and acoustic guitar and complement her reflective, heartfelt and emotionally-charged (without being overwrought) lyrics.

The signature guiding hand on the production is that of ex-Guthrie Gabriel Minnikin, who contributes audibly too by playing an enormous number of instruments including guitars, mandolin, accordion, banjo, pump organ and even theremin, as well as doing some backing vocals. He's summoned a further cast of musicians that include the superb Alan Cook on steel guitars (pedal and lap) and dobro, with others on piano, bass, drums, clarinet and even a string trio. There are occasions when Lisa's voice gets a little lost in the mix, and this is a time when a lyric sheet could usefully have been incorporated into the booklet I feel, but by and large these at times almost indescribably lush musical settings don't swamp but actually enhance Lisa's glorious tones, and the end result is heart-meltingly good.

Almost every song (there are 11 of Lisa's own on the record) is blessed with a different, and highly individual, musical character; the opening (title) track's a delicious and radio-friendly slice of country-inflected pop, with Lisa's gorgeous voice invitingly sidling up against the texture of pure steel twang. Next song, Dragonfly, is a gentler, string-backed piece that shares a delicate yet intense majesty with the sound-world of Nick Drake, whereas gently driving cuts like Why and Love You Anyway just swoon by and right through you on their way to emotional fulfilment. The achingly intense ballad When You Go brings another dimension to Lisa's writing, as does the inspirational Mountain Hideaway and the seemingly ambivalent "heavenly choir" angle of Universe. The album's closing track (a cover of Neal Casal's Fell On Hard Times) is the exception to the rule this time, rings the changes as it reverts to a raw voice-and-guitar template. Play this rapturously good CD just once, and you'll definitely want to get lost again (and again, and again…) in its charms, I just know it!

www.lisaredford.com

David Kidman - Netrhythms