My new album, Jubilee, is released on 8th December and is available to order/download here. It’s my first full album of new material since 2013’s Star Over Bethlehem. I began writing songs for Jubilee in summer 2015 when I was on holiday with my family in France. I recorded demos for ten of the songs out there and had the tune for 'Going Back to Liverpool' running through my head as we waited in the car to get onto the ferry on the way back. I ended up with about thirty contenders but whittled it down to about twenty songs after recording commenced. There’s five or six left over for the next project.
It's taken me ages to record the album because I’ve just not had the time: a full-time job, a family and gigging with three bands takes up most of every twenty-four hours. I released the 'Going Back to Liverpool (b/w Mousefinger)' single on Bandcamp in December 2015 and anticipated that the album would follow soon after, but I only finished it three weeks ago.
I recorded Jubilee at home using Logic software for the first time. It was a bit of a steep learning curve but I’ve got to grips with it now. For anyone familiar with my work, all the usual themes are there. There is an overriding concept to the record though, which is to do with the Biblical notion of Jubilee.
The front cover picture shows me and my sister standing in our garden in Cardiff in 1977 on the day of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The rear photograph was taken at Two Little Ducks antique shop in Melksham.
I hope you enjoy it.
PS I am performing a live show for the album launch on Thursday 8th December which will be streamed on my facebook page at 9.30pm (GMT). Drop by and say hello!