“File under HEATHER MACLEOD!!!" * * * * * * * * * * (Danny Thompson)
Whether she’s performing her own songs or her artfully chosen covers,
there’s no mistaking Heather Macleod’s voice. Whatever the rich array of
echoes and influences in her singing - Beth Gibbons, kd lang, Nina Simone, Alison
Goldfrapp - she sounds like no one else but herself.
It’s this singular vocal presence that unites the bold stylistic breadth of
Heather’s music, distilled from a wealth of experience spanning all the way
back to her Hebridean upbringing, and across the realms of folk, jazz,
blues, world and pop.
“. . a creamily curvaceous voice that ranged the full gamut from velvety intimacy to majestic, rafter-rattling intensity.†(Scotsman)
Her acclaimed solo debut Crossing Tides (Leod Music 2005), featuring guest
appearances by double bass legend Danny Thompson, double Grammy-winning
harmonica heavyweight Sugar Blue, and alt.classical pioneers Mr McFall’s
Chamber, brilliantly highlighted this poise between diversity and individual
focus, with its mix of hauntingly strung-out ballads and ballsy barroom
blues, acid-etched love-songs and poetic folk-pop.
“One of those rare albums that defies any simple categorisation… as good an example of singer songwriting as there’s likely to be this year.†(Taplas)
Crossing Tides paved the way for extensive touring with her band, The Healthy
Measures - Dr JD Caillouet on guitar, Micky Marr on bass and Donald Hay on
drums. As well as headline gigs and appearances she has opened shows for
Eliza Carthy, Bert Jansch, Kathryn Williams, Cara Dillon, Michael Marra, Tam
White and Juliet Turner.
“. . breathtakingly beautiful. . . simply stunning. . . a prodigious talent.†(Folkmag)
With Heather currently working on new material, recording on her second
album, provisionally titled Home Grown, is scheduled to start this
year.
Heather’s earliest musical roots lie in her native Lewis, where she grew up
amidst both the island’s rich Gaelic song traditions, and the eclectic
tastes of her music-loving/playing parents. Her first real musical
adventures, though, were as an errant art-school student in the thick of
Aberdeen's fabled late-80s blues-jam scene.
“A big, bountiful box of musical colours†(Sunday Herald)
Since moving to Edinburgh in 1995, Heather has increasingly stretched her creative wings as a singer, songwriter and much sought-after vocal arranger. A member of the Eliza Carthy Band from 1999 she continues to record and arrange backing vocals for the English folk star, also pursuing this love of harmony in two all-girl trios, The Wee Frees and The Bevvy Sisters, who feature respectively with Celtic/world 10-piece La Boum!, and the already-legendary Love Boat Big Band. The latter outfit, a 16-strong extravaganza featuring the cream of Edinburgh’s music scene, were a major hit at the Edinburgh Fringe
go to myspace.com/theloveboatbigband and myspace.com/thebevvysisters.
“. . bold use of jazzy tonalities and harmonic colours, showcasing the versatility of her singing, from honeyed smoothness to biting astringency.†(Scotsman)
In her latest material, the taut sinews and luscious colours of Heather’s
singing vibrantly revisit her formative jazz/blues grounding, framed by the
potent melodic spectrum and vivid lyrics of her strongest compositions to
date. Her plans for Home Grown centre on the fertile ensemble dynamic she has forged with her Healthy Measures cohorts – close-knit yet spacious, tight but fluid – along with guest contributions from a range of other musical soulmates.
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