Kelsey Michael – A Magical Soundscape
A set of self-penned piano-based songs, âLethowsowâ opens with optimistic flurries of vocal harmony that could have blown in on a gust from The Wizard Of Oz.
Fittingly, what follows celebrates song and the voice while transporting listeners to the magical wild West Cornwall landscape, the home, anchor and inspiration for singer-songwriter Kelsey Michael, whose sonic vision laces a penchant for classic â60s-â70s artists such as Laura Nyro and Carole King with a contemporary art-pop edge.
This mixture has already caught the ear of radio presenter Gilles Peterson, who has been airing songs from âLethowsow’ on both his BBC 6 Music and Worldwide FM shows. Meanwhile, Uncut magazine have recently featured Michael (alongside Angeline Morrison and Daisy Rickman) in a piece on the emerging new Cornish folk scene, describing her music as âNyro-esque raptureâ and âLethowsowâ itself as âsuitably immersive, it deals in the elemental forces that shape coastal existence, both physically and psychologically.â The first single from the album, the delightful Jobim/Morricone-influenced âMusic Of The Wavesâ, is a cinematic breath of air, offering images of hedgerow, shore and moors thrown up to catch the light and a tumble of beautiful Cornish place names. Guest vocalists MAY (Michaelâs daughter) and Maria Heseltine, along with Ben Kypreos (acoustic bass) and Greg Dyer (percussion) contribute to its fresh sound.
LETHOWSOW
TRACKLISTING
1Â Â Gry Maritha 5:07
2Â Â Music Of The Waves 4:38
3Â Â Mounts Bay Morning 4:40
4Â Â Tide Comes In 2:56
5Â Â The Crossing 1:19
6Â Â Swimming 3:42
7Â Washing Line 4:18
Produced and mixed by Kelsey Michael and Robin Tyndale-Biscoe
Joyous follow-up effort âMounts Bay Morningâ has Angeline Morrison (creator of the award winning 2022 album The Sorrow Songs: Folk songs of black British Experience) guesting alongside Maria Heseltine on a song that insists the moment to act is now, grab a coat, a soul mate, get out the door and go live! âWake Me Up Before You Go Goâ by her surnamesake haunted Michaelâs dreams during its writing.
The word Lethowsow (pronounced Laith-oh-so), means âthe milky onesâ in old âKernewekâ language. It was used as a name for the treacherous Seven Stones reef on the way to Lands End, a large stretch of vertical rocks like sharks teeth which are always covered with white water. Michael loved the soft sound of this word, as well as the fact that it describes the rocks in a magical way, as if they were characters. For her, âLethowsowâ represents the awesome and humbling power of nature, with the sea in particular being a major character on the record.
Current single âGry Marithaâ uses the name of the Isles of Scilly freight ship, serenading this hardy blue boat in rhapsodic style (think Gerry & The Pacemakers âFerry Cross The Merseyâ in session with The Carpenters). The song itself tells multiple stories, touching on the folklore of the waters of the Scilly crossing while simultaneously uncovering hidden moments of a mother and child whose daily rhythms overlap with the shipâs departure and return.
âTide Comes Inâ gets real about rural poverty in Michaelâs home town of Penzance, yet still finding cause to celebrate the resilience, creativity and community support networks so often invisible to visitors. The inevitable ebb and flow of the tides gives certainty in troubled times when it can feel there is little else to rely on. Elsewhere, âSwimmingâ takes us wading into the waves, âcooling off the heat deep insideâ, with watery glissando from stunning harpist Benjin Musiq. This immersive music experience eventually comes home to the wonder of small domestic moments in âWashing Lineâ, featuring exquisitely phrased guest vocals from Morrison. By hanging the stuff of our lives on the line, we get perspective, let go of habitual obstacles and move on. Within this final song we are given musical headspace and a moment to pour some balm on modern life.
Official Site  |  Facebook |  Instagram |  Linktr.ee
