Shirley Collins has announced the release of her first new album in some 35 years, titled Lodestar, on November 4. One of the most influential figures on the British folk revival scene of the 50’s and 60’s, she’d lost her singing voice due to dysphonia in the early 1980’s, only coaxed back to public performance in 2014 by O.T.O. cabinet member David Tibet of Current 93; Collins had sung on a number of Current 93 releases and Tibet had released a compilation of her past work on the Durto Jhana label. Tibet posted to his FB feed:
“The album is ABSOLUTELY AND UTTERLY ASTOUNDING. It really is beautiful and powerful beyond words…. BUY BUY BUY! Love D+++”
Collins herself told the Shirley Collins Appreciation Society:
“I am more than thrilled to announce the release of my new album LODESTAR, out November 4. It was recorded in my cottage in Lewes where I was joined by my favourite musicians playing a variety of instruments: hurdy gurdy, concertina, viola, fiddle and banjo, various guitars, English half-long pipes and organ pipe, harmonium and percussion. Between us, I think we’ve created a unique album, and it couldn’t have happened without the support of the wonderful people at Domino. There has been a gap of 38 years since my last album, and I hope it’s been worth the wait!”
Read more and hear a track from the Lodestar here: http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/shirley-collins-announces-first-album-38-years-shares-new-song-cruel-lincoln-94166
Read up on Shirley’s long and fascinating career here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Collins
visit her own website: http://www.shirleycollins.co.uk/
