Kathryn Williams | ||
| Allmusic Biography : British singer/songwriter Kathryn Williams began her career in 1999 with the release of Dog Leap Stairs, a beguiling set of low-key folk songs that drew comparisons to the hushed musings of Nick Drake. A native of Liverpool, Williams relocated to Newcastle to pursue a fine arts degree, emerging somewhat unexpectedly with a promising musical career when her second album, 2000s Little Black Numbers, was nominated for Britains prestigious Mercury Prize. More expansive than her debut, yet still winsomely intimate, the album was initially released on her own Caw Records label, though it was soon delivered to a much larger audience via a licensing agreement with Warners EastWest imprint. With her newly raised profile, Williams began writing her third album and making collaborative appearances with folk legends like Bert Jansch and John Martyn. Her much-anticipated follow-up, Old Low Light, arrived in 2002, followed in 2004 by a covers album called Relations. Fiercely independent in attitude and appealingly understated in song, Williams resumed recording new material at a prolific pace, delivering 2005s Over Fly Over and 2006s Leave to Remain on her Caw label when her tenure with EastWest ran out. In 2008, she worked with British singer/songwriter Neill MacColl (son of folk icons Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger) on the collaborative album Two, which received a widespread release via Nettwerk Records. That same year, she also contributed vocals to Bombay Bicycle Clubs debut single, "Evening/Morning." Another collaborative project followed in 2010, when Williams and Newcastle-based punk musician Anna Spencer formed the childrens duo the Crayonettes. Resuming her own solo career later that year, she signed with London-based label One Little Indian and continued releasing high-quality albums at a fairly brisk rate by modern industry standards. Issued in 2010, The Quickening was followed by the Adrian Utley-produced The Pond in 2012. Crown Electric arrived a year later as Williams embarked on her biggest U.K. tour yet. She has shared the stage with acts like Ray LaMontagne, Martha Wainwright, and KT Tunstall, among many others. Her 11th album, Hypoxia, a lyrically and sonically ambitious set of songs inspired by Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, was co-produced by Ed Harcourt and released in 2015. The following year saw the release of Resonator, a set of jazz standards recorded with vibraphone player Anthony Kerr. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 12 Title: The Fade Released: 1999 Tracks: 4 Duration: 15:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Fade (03:37) 2 Kiss the Forehead (04:56) 3 Madmen & Maniacs (Studio version) (03:50) 4 Cradle (02:52) |
 | Album: 2 of 12 Title: Dog Leap Stairs Released: 1999-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 32:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Leazes Park (03:19) 2 Night Came (03:53) 3 What Am I Doing Here? (03:59) 4 No-one to Blame (03:31) 5 Something Like That (03:14) 6 Lydia (02:45) 7 Handy (02:31) 8 Dog Without Wings (02:27) 9 Fade (03:35) 10 Madmen and Maniacs (02:58) |
| Dog Leap Stairs : Allmusic album Review : On the basis of this debut album, originally released on her own Caw Records (and later reissued in the U.S. by East West), British singer/songwriter Kathryn Williams earned laudatory comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake. To be sure, there is some of each of those artists (both admitted influences) in Dog Leap Stairs. As with Drakes Five Leaves Left, some of Williams songs (such as "Fade" and, with its lovely thread of cello, the resplendent "Lydia," a pair of the songs produced by PJ Harvey collaborator Head) are dusted with delicate, Baroque touches of stunning incandescence, and like the most intimate recordings (Both Sides Now, Blue) from Mitchell, the recording feels at times ("Handy," the glockenspiel-drizzled "Dog Without Wings") as if you are being ushered into the most private confessions of the songwriter. But while those allusions work for various brief stretches, a much more apt reference for Williams method is the early Velvet Underground, particularly the Nico-fronted band of the first album, as well as Nicos own first solo LP, Chelsea Girl. The sentiment throughout Dog Leap Stairs is certainly not as taciturn and emotionally tranquilizing as those albums, but the music is often just as sparse and the melodies as affectingly brittle ("No One to Blame"). Williams performance, on the other hand, is so achingly soulful that the songs ultimately feel life-affirming, even during the albums most baldly painful ("What Am I Doing Here?," the lovely piano ballad "Madmen and Maniacs") or darkly tethered ("Night Came," "Something Like That") moments, and even when it threatens to placidly vanish beneath its own bashfulness. There is nothing, in other words, brutal about the albums beauty; to the contrary, it is ultimately entrancing. In any event, the acclaim was merited. It is delightful, yes. It is charming. But Dog Leap Stairs, beneath its sedated surface, has teeth, too. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 12 Title: Little Black Numbers Released: 2000 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 We Dug a Hole (04:26) 2 Soul to Feet (04:07) 3 Stood (03:21) 4 Jasmine Hoop (03:55) 5 Fell Down Fast (05:36) 6 Flicker (03:29) 7 Intermission (01:33) 8 Tell the Truth as If It Were Lies (04:07) 9 Morning Song (02:33) 10 Toocan (02:24) 11 Each Star We See (04:27) 12 We Came Down From the Trees (03:46) |
| Little Black Numbers : Allmusic album Review : Little Black Numbers earned its young songwriter a nomination for the Mercury Prize, and it was variously hailed by reputable sources as "genius" (Time Out), "endlessly moving" (MOJO), and "sheer perfection" (The Times). As tempting as it would be to dismiss such praise and attribute it to the typically excessive hyperbole machine of the British music press, it is virtually impossible to argue with the consensus in this case. Kathryn Williams sophomore effort is, indeed, a thing of stunning precocity and allure. Little Black Numbers is a more substantial record than Dog Leap Stairs in almost every way. It is characterized by more confidence, more control of the material, and more complex emotional responses. The songs are sturdier, both lyrically and melodically, and the ante upped on the orchestration (with the full-band editions of the magnificent cellist Laura Reid and double bassist Jonny Bridgwood, as well as classical guitarist David Scott). They actually spark and build to ornate climaxes instead of gradually enveloping the listener with poised calm, as on the debut. But Williams songs are still wisps of love letters written from that wishful, domestic place tucked inside everyone. They yearn for a security blanket ("We Dug a Hole") when feeling too open or exposed, and for transcendence when lost or overwhelmed ("Fell Down Fast," "Each Star We See"). They still harbor secrets in unspoken pasts ("Soul to Feet," "Tell the Truth as If It Were Lies"). They are lovelorn and struck with wistfulness ("Stood," the exquisite "Jasmine Hoop") in the most pleasingly self-conscious and reticent ways. These songs exist in our small, barely noticed gestures. They capture the ways in which we breathe and move, the quick, embarrassed glances we shoot at someone we love, the way we try to lose ourselves in the familiar warmth of another body. They revel in nothing less than the ways in which we are so beautifully human, flawed. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 12 Title: Soul to Feet Released: 2000-10-23 Tracks: 3 Duration: 10:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Soul to Feet (04:09) 2 Flicker (03:31) 3 Some Kind of Wonderful (02:58) |
 | Album: 5 of 12 Title: Old Low Light Released: 2002 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Little Black Numbers (02:56) 2 White, Blue and Red (02:24) 3 Mirrorball (05:10) 4 Devices (03:22) 5 Daydream and Saunter (04:01) 6 Beatles (03:40) 7 Wolf (03:39) 8 Tradition (03:23) 9 Swimmer (03:32) 10 On for You (02:41) 11 No One Takes You Home (06:05) 12 3am Phonecall (01:52) |
| Old Low Light : Allmusic album Review : If Manchesters Damon Gough opened the majors up to the profitable pleasures of single songwriters by way of his Badly Drawn alter ego, so Kathryn Williams cemented the genre-crashing the shortlist of the 2000 Mercury Music Awards with Little Black Numbers, her follow-up to the curiously titled Dog Leap Stairs debut, both released through her own self-financed Caw imprint. Critical acclaim resulted in a swathe of sales, a management deal with Alan McGee, and a record contract with East West with Old Low Light, the first new material to appear since. If the successful re-release of the aforementioned Numbers in the fall of 2001 went to Williams head, it certainly isnt noticeable with this stunning third album rippling with the understated emotion upon which her previous work relied here in all its silver-lined melancholic glory. As familiar as it is enjoyable, the music itself proves a delightful echo of the sentiments of each song -- a lonely piano and cello the only feasible accompaniment to "Tradition," while the backing of "Swimmer" offers a chirpier backing that perfectly captures the spirit of the song. 42 minutes of beautiful bliss. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 12 Title: Relations Released: 2004-05-17 Tracks: 14 Duration: 44:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 In a Broken Dream (03:37) 2 Birds (02:26) 3 Thirteen (02:56) 4 Hallelujah (05:09) 5 The Ballad of Easy Rider (02:49) 6 A Guy What Takes His Time (02:58) 7 Candy Says (03:32) 8 How Can We Hang on to a Dream (02:34) 9 I Started a Joke (03:07) 10 Easy and Me (02:45) 11 Spit on a Stranger (03:23) 12 All Apologies (03:34) 13 Beautiful Cosmos (01:31) 14 These Days (04:02) |
| Relations : Allmusic album Review : Originally released during her major-label stint and given a reissue some years later after she found her independent feet all the more strongly, Relations is that sometimes revelatory, sometimes time-killing impulse brought to life -- the covers album, paying homage to past inspirations old and young. Some of the choices seem obvious more by default and time due to shifting contexts -- admittedly Leonard Cohens "Hallelujah" had already seemed plenty familiar again thanks to Jeff Buckleys cover at the time of the first release of Relations, but in 2010 one almost wants to beg for any other Cohen song just for a bit of contrast, however much her version, recorded live, ends on a sharp, strong note. Similarly, "All Apologies" seems like an almost too pat choice of Nirvana cover, not helped by a high-pitched string part that spills into the melodramatic from the start. Williams takes are at the least enjoyable in a sweetly formal way, though, leaving the more unexpected choices, at least in song if not in composer, to take the lions share of the praise. Having Neil Youngs After the Gold Rush represented by "Birds" is a nice touch, Williams giving it a beautiful performance slightly touched by string parts, while picking the late Pavement single "Spit on a Stranger" is both an inspired touch and also results in a lovely remake all around. Versions of "Thirteen" by Big Star and the Velvet Undergrounds "Candy Says" successfully showcase Williams particular ear for studio-shaped folk very well in turn -- the latter, in a fun touch, is actually more energetic than the original, peppier without losing its overall fragility. Perhaps the most inspired touch comes courtesy of Ivor Cutlers "Beautiful Cosmos," with the Scottish artists sharp wit given a winning makeover. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 12 Title: Over Fly Over Released: 2005 Tracks: 12 Duration: 44:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Three (04:19) 2 Indifference 1 (03:01) 3 Breath (03:48) 4 Old Low Light 2 (04:37) 5 Just Like a Birthday (03:38) 6 Shop Window (02:36) 7 Beachy Head (05:35) 8 Escaping (03:10) 9 City Streets (04:14) 10 Untilt the Dark (01:56) 11 Baby Blues (03:51) 12 Full Colour (03:52) |
 | Album: 8 of 12 Title: Leave to Remain Released: 2006-08-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 34:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Blue Onto You (02:02) 2 Let It Happen (03:35) 3 Sustain Pedal (02:56) 4 Stevie (03:03) 5 Sandy L (03:53) 6 When (03:52) 7 Glass Bottom Boat (04:44) 8 Hollow (03:31) 9 Opened (02:27) 10 Room in My Head (04:39) |
| Leave to Remain : Allmusic album Review : Acoustic instruments and downy-soft vocals are Kathryn Williams forte on Leave to Remain, her sixth release since 1999s breakthrough debut, Dog Leap Stairs. Like that first album, Leave rustles up the intimacy of Joni Mitchells most private material, with Williams delivering her observations and confessions in a singsong whisper. The arrangements are sparser this time around; of the 16 guest musicians listed on the album sleeve, only a handful play on any given track. Williams accented alto and literate lyrics are kept at the forefront, which -- given the strength of what she has to say, as well as the relative letdown of Leaves ornate predecessor, Over Fly Over -- is a smart move. She lingers over every melody, her voice hushed and humble as string sections and guitars bubble beneath her. The subdued style wears thin toward the discs end, but several variations in volume -- most notably the countryish semi-ballad "Hollow" -- hold their own with Leaves stellar side A. Those who mistakenly categorize such material as coffeehouse music should pay closer attention to Williams candid lyrics, which often pack more bite than an espresso. "Weve been f*cking all afternoon, burning like fossil fuel," she sings on "Glass Bottom Boat," her subtle delivery contradicting such a supercharged line. And lest Williams poetry be mistaken for something pointlessly vulgar, she immediately follows with what very well may be her most poignant lyric about love: "I feel like youve turned me into a glass-bottomed boat; you see everything I hide but still keep me afloat." Its this combination of wit and grit that gives Leave to Remain a delicate edge. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 12 Title: The Quickening Released: 2010-02-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 50 White Lines (02:47) 2 Just a Feeling (03:29) 3 Winter Is Sharp (02:25) 4 Wanting and Waiting (03:54) 5 Black Oil (01:23) 6 Just Leave (03:11) 7 Smoke (02:17) 8 Cream of the Crop (04:59) 9 There Are Keys (03:18) 10 Noble Guesses (03:40) 11 Little Lesson (02:34) 12 Up North (03:47) |
| The Quickening : Allmusic album Review : The seventh solo album by Kathryn Williams is another example of how the British singer/songwriter has settled into her own particular groove over the years -- even being on an off-again on-again path with other labels certainly hasnt stopped her by now, and if anything, the switch to One Little Indian is a sign that she trusts a larger label once more to want to showcase her vision rather than simply polish it. Recorded over a four-day period, The Quickening at its best finds an elegant balance between the slightly mysterious and the warmly immediate, with the whole benefiting from the rich arrangements present song for song. In a field where far too often the addition of music beyond acoustic guitar has resulted in a clunky farrago, here the understated beats and droning squeeze boxes of "Just a Feeling" and the late-night jazz bar elegance of "Cream of the Crop" show just how much she has explored possibilities since her start, while the multiplicity of lead instruments throughout -- sometimes a piano, sometimes vibes, sometimes something else -- all speak to the capable range she now demonstrates in her work, along with her musical collaborators. There are also seemingly random touches of surprise -- in the opening "50 White Lines" a voice counts off each of the white lines in question in a way little heard since Spiritualizeds "200 Bars," while the sudden appearance of her massed vocals for the first time on the piano-led "Black Oil" is beautiful drama at its best, a sudden shock. At its most stripped down, as on "Winter Is Sharp" or the softly rolling "Smoke," theres still a mix of elements like overdubbed vocals, but with a little more space let in, which helps the songs sink in all that much more. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 12 Title: Crown Electric Released: 2013-09-30 Tracks: 13 Duration: 50:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Underground (03:41) 2 Gave It Away (03:21) 3 Heart Shaped Stone (03:36) 4 Count (03:31) 5 Out of Time (03:33) 6 Monday Morning (03:36) 7 Darkness Light (03:40) 8 Picture Book (04:51) 9 Morning Twilight (04:51) 10 Arwen (03:18) 11 Tequila (03:36) 12 Sequins (04:55) 13 The Known (03:42) |
 | Album: 11 of 12 Title: Hypoxia Released: 2015-06-15 Tracks: 9 Duration: 29:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Electric (02:45) 2 Mirrors (03:53) 3 Battleships (03:31) 4 Cuckoo (04:08) 5 Beating Heart (03:21) 6 Tango with Marco (03:16) 7 When Nothing Meant Less (03:33) 8 The Mind Is Its Own Place (02:59) 9 Part of Us (02:29) |
| Hypoxia : Allmusic album Review : Beguiling British songstress Kathryn Williams returns with her 11th studio album, the sonically adventurous and thematically ambitious Hypoxia. The album, which was co-produced by Ed Harcourt, is based on Sylvia Plaths 1963 novel The Bell Jar. Approached in 2013 to write some songs based on Plath for the Durham Book Festivals celebration of the authors work (and the 50th anniversary of The Bell Jars publication), Williams reconnected with the novel and its haunted, semi-autobiographical protagonist. She initially completed five songs, which she performed at a reading by author Andrew Wilson from his book Mad Girls Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted. While she hadnt intended to base an entire album on Plath, the subject continued to inspire her and before long she had added three more songs, with a fourth one, the albums lead single "Cuckoo" co-written by Harcourt. Dark-toned and heavily atmospheric, Hypoxias production recalls some of the textures from her 2012 release The Pond. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 12 Title: Songs From the Novel Greatest Hits Released: 2017-06-16 Tracks: 16 Duration: 52:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Common Ground (04:15) 2 Architect (02:54) 3 Living Free (03:52) 4 I Wrote You a Love Song (03:02) 5 Just Us Two (02:12) 6 Road of Shadows (02:45) 7 Dont Step on the Cracks (03:03) 8 She Wears a Dress (02:09) 9 Lilies (03:31) 10 Brightest Star (02:49) 11 In This Garden (03:18) 12 Queen of the Snow (03:21) 13 Home (02:26) 14 Edge of the World (03:50) 15 Gethsemane (05:22) 16 When Morning Comes (03:49) |