Louise Latham
Gifted singer-songwriter Louise Latham’s evocative debut album Reclaimed will be released on Monday, 25th June.
For every waking hour while recording the album, Louise was consumed by the project. "I slept next to the Telefunken analogue machine in the studio for the entire two-month period," she recalls.
"It was quite a magical time, feeling surrounded day and night by the recording process," exclaims the Cardiff born songstress.
Combined with heartfelt production of Arno Guveau, the songs exert an intimate pull on the senses and resonate with an elemental force. Guveau’s cinematic arrangements accentuate the dark romantic heart of Latham’s writing.
Guveau, who has worked with Manfred Mann and former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston, built a studio in his Dutch flat specifically to record Reclaimed creating 'an atmosphere with lamps and rugs, an artistic bohemian feel'.
The exquisite harmonies that form the core of the album are provided by Louise’s sister, Suzanne and are steeped in Welsh musical legacy.
"There is a strong emphasis on singing in Wales, and growing up there meant that I was encouraged to become a member of numerous choirs - my love of vocal harmonies definitely came out of these experiences."
And then there’s Louise’s voice - pure, ethereal, intense, and profoundly moving.
The album sets Louise up as a new voice in the British folk tradition, while drawing influence from her heroes. When she talks about touchstones, she mentions the simplicity and economy of Tracy Chapman’s compositions, the big quiet of Tori Amos’s Boys For Pele album, and the ambitious scope of Sarah McLachlan’s Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.
Yet it was Cara Dillon’s eponymously titled debut that led to an epiphany of sorts for Latham. "It awoke something so fundamental within my musical heart, like all good folk music can."
Louise Latham has lined up a series of gigs in the UK throughout May and June to showcase the release of Reclaimed. She will also be recording two special sessions with BBC Radio Wales and BBC Bristol in May.