Karen Matheson - Downriver

(November 2005) 11 tracks: Chi mi bhuam * Cronan Bleoghainn * Gleann baille chaoil * I will not wear the willow * O Mhairi's tu mo airi * O nach eisdeadh * Laoidh Fhearchair Eoghainn * Singing in the dark * Puirt a beul * Luadh an Toraidh * Crucan na bpaiste.

Karen Matheson's Downriver is inspired by traditional songs she grew up with, reuniting her with Capercaillie’s producer Donal Lunny.

The album is a mainly acoustic affair, leaving space for the voice which has mesmerized audiences throughout the world during her career.

Recorded in the serene setting of Crear Studios on the West Coast of Argyll, the album evolved from live sessions with James Grant (guitar), James MacKintosh (percussion), Donald Shaw (piano, accordion), Ewen Vernal (double bass) and Donal Lunny (guitar, bouzouki, bodhran).

Widely recognised as the haunting vocals of Celtic supergroup Capercaillie, Karen was awarded Best Gaelic Singer at the inaugural Scottish Trad Music Awards 2003. Her career began with ceilidh performances as a child in local village halls on the West coast of Scotland. Karen recorded with Capercaillie on their first album in 1984 whilst still at school.

With Capercaillie, Karen has enjoyed a stellar career, with more than a million albums sold across the world and performances in over thirty countries. In 1995 they wrote, recorded and starred in the blockbuster movie Rob Roy, in which Karen performed a solo rendition of a Gaelic lament.

As a solo performer, Karen has been involved in various collaborative projects, including the award-winning BBC series Transatlantic Sessions, where she recorded tracks with Emmylou Harris, The MacGarrigle Sisters, Nanci Griffith, Rufus Wainright and other highly-respected artistes.

This new release will be Karen’s third solo album, her previous being Time to Fall (2002) and The Dreaming Sea (1996).

"a throat surely touched by the hand of God" (Sean Connery)

"the finest Gaelic singer alive today" (Billboard Magazine)

"Karen Matheson’s vocals are the coolest - swirling and slamming - amazingly dynamic" (NME)