Norma Waterson | ||
| Allmusic Biography : One of the great interpreters of traditional British fare, Norma Watersons potent and majestically rough-hewn voice has been at the forefront of the U.K. folk scene since the mid-60s. Singing a cappella alongside her brother Mike and sister Lal in the Watersons, she became one of the most significant and influential voices of the British folk revivals. Following a hiatus, the group returned in the early 70s with a landmark album of U.K. folk, For Pence and Spicy Ale. Later, in the 90s, Norma found renewed success with her husband Martin Carthy and daughter Eliza Carthy, as part of the family group Waterson:Carthy, as well as launching a critically lauded solo career with her Mercury Prize-nominated 1996 debut. As a singer and head of the Waterson-Carthy musical dynasty, Norma has been hailed an icon of folk music. Born on August 13, 1939, Norma is eldest of the three Waterson siblings. Orphaned at a young age, they were raised by their grandmother in the port town of Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. Initially playing in local coffee houses as a skiffle group called the Mariners, Norma and her siblings soon gravitated to folk music, performing first as the Folksons, then simply using their surname. With the addition of their second cousin, John Harrison, the Watersons rich, earthy vocal blend, innate charisma, and natural command of traditional fare attracted immediate attention from Melody Maker, which named their 1965 debut, Frost and Fire, Album of the Year. The group went on to record two more LPs, a self-titled set, and A Yorkshire Garland, in 1966 before disbanding two years later. Effectively removing herself from the British music scene, Norma fled to the West Indies, working as a radio DJ for several years before returning in the early 70s to give singing another go. With former Steeleye Span member Martin Carthy replacing John Harrison, the Watersons re-formed in 1972 to record their landmark album, For Pence and Spicy Ale. With his reedy voice and deep vocabulary of traditional music, Carthy was a strong match for the group and by years end was married to Norma. Following the birth of their daughter Eliza in 1975, Norma and Martin resumed work with the Watersons in 1977 with Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy. That same year, Norma joined her sister Lal for A True Hearted Girl, their only album as a duo. While they would continue to perform together through the 80s, the Watersons recorded output ended with 1981s Green Fields. With daughter Eliza already following in her mothers footsteps, the two joined forced in the late 80s alongside Lal and her daughter Marry Waterson, performing on occasion as the Waterdaughters. This ended up being one of the first of many post-Watersons iterations -- the supergroup Blue Murder was another -- Norma took part in, further establishing what has become known in British music as the Waterson-Carthy-Knight folk dynasty. In 1994, Norma, Martin, and Eliza formed the family folk trio Waterson:Carthy, releasing their debut album on Hannibal Records that same year. With a renewed public interested in British folk music, it was suggested that Norma finally record a solo album, and with both a label and producer (John Chelew) in place, sessions were booked and an ensemble of folk luminaries including Richard Thompson, Danny Thompson, and Roger Swallow was formed to join Norma, Martin, and Eliza. Rather than leaning heavily on traditional songs, Normas self-titled 1996 debut largely featured interpretations of songs by Elvis Costello, the Grateful Dead, Billy Bragg, Richard Thompson, and her sister Lal. The album was a major critical success, earning her a Mercury Prize nomination and inspiring a similarly themed 1999 follow-up album, The Very Thought of You, that featured much of the same ensemble. Meanwhile, she continued her collaboration with Martin and Eliza, adding two more Waterson:Carthy albums to her growing canon. 2001s Bright Shiny Morning on Topic Records, ended up being Normas first solo release to include all traditional material. A trio of Waterson:Carthy albums, A Dark Light (2002), Fishes and Fine Yellow Sand (2004), and Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man (2006) followed in similar tradition. Joining forces with Eliza in 2010, she recorded the mother-daughter duo record The Gift for Topic Records. Not long after the albums release, a serious illness left Norma in a coma, prompting a lengthy recovery period during which she had to relearn how to walk and talk. Eventually returning to the public eye, she was honored alongside another British icon, Joan Armatrading, for a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Not long after, she resumed her music career as well, working again with Eliza and her husband on a poignant follow-up to The Gift. Recorded in a chapel in Robin Hoods Bay, the familys hometown, Anchor featured a rich assortment of songs from Tom Waits and Nick Lowe to traditional fare and even Monty Python. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 6 Title: A True Hearted Girl Released: 1977 Tracks: 14 Duration: 41:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Young Billy Brown (02:06) 2 Betsy Belle (00:58) 3 The Beggar Man (03:33) 4 The Welcome Sailor (03:19) 5 Meeting Is a Pleasure (02:02) 6 I Wish I Had Never (02:39) 7 The Wealthy Squire (02:51) 8 The Pretty Drummer Boy (02:35) 9 John Ball (03:24) 10 Jenny Storm (02:29) 11 The Bonny Light Horseman (03:06) 12 The Unfortunate Lass (04:29) 13 The Flowers of the Forest (03:31) 14 Grace Darling (04:44) |
 | Album: 2 of 6 Title: Norma Waterson Released: 1996 Tracks: 11 Duration: 45:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Black Muddy River (04:21) 2 St. Swithins Day (02:56) 3 God Loves a Drunk (04:39) 4 The Birds Will Still Be Singing (02:56) 5 There Aint No Sweet Man Thats Worth the Salt of My Tears (02:52) 6 Rags and Old Iron (04:18) 7 Pleasure and Pain (06:03) 8 Hard Times Heart (03:20) 9 There is a Fountain in Christs Blood (03:48) 10 Anna Dixie (03:41) 11 Outside The Wall (06:14) |
| Norma Waterson : Allmusic album Review : It may have taken nearly 30 years for someone to suggest a Norma Waterson solo project, but the outcome was well worth the wait. Watersons eponymous titled debut, with the exception of "There is a Fountain in Christs Blood," isnt the traditional collection some would expect, but is filled with material from contemporary writers which makes it much closer in sound to the folk-rock of an artist like Richard Thompson. The record kicks off with a beautiful reading of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunters "Black Muddy River" and rolls through a range of songs by the likes of Thompson, Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello, Ben Harper and Normas sister Lal. The backing is sympathetic throughout, mixing Martin Carthys intricate acoustic guitar with Richard Thompsons lyrical electric work, Danny Thompsons bass, Roger Swallows drums and bits of violin from Eliza Carthy. It would be easy for such an all-star band to outshine a lesser talent, but its Norma Watersons world-weary alto that instills the songs with a timelessness and gives them real life. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 6 Title: The Very Thought of You Released: 1999-06-21 Tracks: 13 Duration: 49:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Love of My Life (02:20) 2 Reply to Joe Hines (02:39) 3 Blaze Away (02:41) 4 Josef Locke (03:03) 5 Over the Rainbow (03:15) 6 Bluebird (Judy G) (04:01) 7 Dreaming (03:29) 8 Al Bowllys in Heaven / The Very Thought of You (07:36) 9 River Man (03:55) 10 Solid Air (04:24) 11 Change Partners and Dance (03:04) 12 On Fridays Hes Fred Astaire (04:18) 13 Fallen Leaves (05:03) |
 | Album: 4 of 6 Title: Bright Shiny Morning Released: 2000 Tracks: 12 Duration: 48:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Chaps of Cockaigny (04:46) 2 Three Maids A-Milking (03:07) 3 One April Morning (03:57) 4 Sheep Crook & Black Dog (03:37) 5 Game of All Fours (03:34) 6 Banks of the Dee (03:46) 7 Bright Shiny Morning (04:35) 8 Barbary Allen (05:51) 9 Flower of the Sweet Strabane (04:42) 10 Green Grows the Laurel (03:47) 11 Go & Leave Me (02:57) 12 My Flower, My Companion & Me (03:49) |
| Bright Shiny Morning : Allmusic album Review : Although Norma Waterson has been a fixture of the English folk scene for 35 years, Bright Shiny Morning is only her second solo album (her first, Norma Waterson, was released in 1996). She has remained a fixture due to her resonant voice and the depth of her interpretations of traditional English songs. From "The Chaps of Cockaigny" to "My Flower, My Companion & Me" Watersons voice stands front and center, filled with romantic trills and often expressing a deep sadness. The individual arrangements add spice to this material, from the piano accordion on "Three Maids A-Milking" to the brass of "Barbary Allen." "Game of All Fours" is sung without accompaniment, recalling other traditional singers like Anne Briggs. Waterson writes, "All these songs, one way or another, are love songs," but love doesnt always go as one would like it to. Indeed, "One April Morning" carries the unhappy refrain, "Young men are false/young men they are deceitful." "Green Grows the Laurel" finds the narrator sadly parted from her lover, turned out of her home, and left to ramble with her baby. The artist receives a great deal of support from Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, and harp player Mary Macmaster, each tastefully adding touches that serve the voice of the singer. Eliza Carthy also receives credit for the fine production of Bright Shiny Morning, which has a crisp, vivid sound-brighter perhaps than one might expect for strict traditional music, but it works perfectly. Waterson has created a lasting artistic statement, and fans can only hope that she doesnt wait quite as long for her next effort. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 6 Title: Gift Released: 2010-07-13 Tracks: 11 Duration: 54:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Poor Wayfaring Stranger (06:24) 2 Little Grey Hawk (03:21) 3 Boston Burglar (05:23) 4 The Nightingale / For Kate (05:56) 5 Bonaparte’s Lament (03:17) 6 The Rose and the Lily (06:13) 7 Bunch of Thyme (05:47) 8 Ukelele Lady / (If Paradise Is) Half as Nice (04:51) 9 Psalm of Life (06:07) 10 Prairie Lullaby (03:46) 11 Shallow Brown (02:55) |
| Gift : Allmusic album Review : British folk giants Eliza Carthy and Norma Waterson have collaborated on numerous projects over the years, but Gift marks the first time that the mother and daughter have released a collection of songs as an official duo. Backed by the usual assortment of English folk dynasty members like Martin Carthy, Danny Thompson, Aiden Curran, Martin Simpson and various other Watersons, Gift offers up the usual amalgamation of traditional songs, all of which are driven through the snow by Carthy and Waterson’s rich, commanding voices. Opening with a rousing rendition of Appalachian spiritual “Wayfaring Stranger” and closing with the gorgeous, seafaring ballad “Shallow Brown,” Gift is an effortless compendium of ancestral music, crafted by two of its greatest champions, that more than lives up to its name. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 6 Title: Anchor Released: 2018-06-01 Tracks: 13 Duration: 55:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Strange Weather (04:00) 2 The Elfin Knight (03:54) 3 The Beast (03:51) 4 The Widows Party (05:59) 5 Lost in the Stars (04:34) 6 The Galaxy Song (02:24) 7 Shanty of the Whale (05:13) 8 The Beast in Me (03:44) 9 Scarborough Fair (03:01) 10 Nelly Was a Lady (07:36) 11 Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (02:40) 12 The Wild Colonial Boy (04:33) 13 We Have an Anchor (03:39) |