"......a lyrically smart,witty record with a bunch of good tunes. Pretty much irresistible....." fRoots Magazine
"An album worthy of investigation,there's a lot going on,much
of it compelling!....." Americana UK
"....a hypnotic and timeless offering....." Norman Records
Best roots based release 2016 - Fabrications HQ
Esteemed producer Stuart Cullen returns with ‘Libero’, the 7th album
under his Pilote moniker. Following on from 2013’s well received LP ‘The Slowdown’, this time Mr Cullen breaks out his songwriting skills to add to the mix of traditional folk stylings and more contemporary electronic production, and drafts in a range of vocalists to bring the record to life.
Over nine tracks, the album blends lilting waltzes and driving blues to startling effect. The hypnotic album opener ‘Clover’ leads into the ‘blues-rave’ of ‘Boxkart’ featuring the unmistakable voice of American bluesman Charlie Parr. Re-worked from an old instrumental, ’The Ballad of Titus Bramble’ then tells a surreal, existential tale of love in a time of woe. The trad bluegrass tune ‘Train On The Island’ is re-imagined as a beautiful waltz, with Tom Holder, roped in from Bristol scallywags ‘The Railway Sleepers’, providing lead vocals. Jo Nye then adds some sass on ‘The 45’, a paean to the 7” single. The mercurial Clemency Jones then takes over vocal duties on the infectious ‘Hog Farm Blues’, an Orwellian omen of a mistake that may already have been made....." Beck Lanehart then lends her beautiful voice to ‘Zetterling’s Ghost’ before ‘Libero’ comes to an end with the slow burning, all waltzing ‘Shoes On My Feet’.
released November 25, 2016
Written and Produced by Stuart Cullen except:
Track 4 - Trad. Arr: S.Cullen
Track 9 - Written by S.Cullen/G.Griffin
Players:
Stuart Cullen - Guitars,banjo,harmonium,programming,vocals.
Gina Griffin - Fiddle,viola,glockenspiel track 9,vocal track 1,backing vocals tracks 3,7.
Tom Holder - Lead vocal tracks 4 and 9,backing vocals tracks 2,3,5 and 7.
Duke Nostalgia - Spoons,Narration track 7,backing vocals tracks 1 and 7.
Jo Nye - Lead vocal track 6,backing vocals track 5.
Charlie Parr - Lead Vocal track 2.
Clemency Jones - Lead Vocal track 7.
Beck Lanehart - Lead Vocal track 8.
Septimus Wilkinson - Backing vocals tracks 3,4 and 7.
Jonathan Brown - Backing vocals track 3.
Charlie Parr appears courtesy of Red House Records.
Additional production on ‘The 45’ by Luke Harney
Made in Somerset,recorded at Dancing Garuda,Bristol,UK.
Copyright Control 2016: Microspiral/OneAcre Music.
Published by OneAcre Music/Domino Publishing.
Banjocat illustration and front cover lettering by Camilla Rose Yuill
www.camillaroseyuill.co.uk
Photography by Daren Bartlett.
www.bantamfilms.com