Lou Rhodes
Country of origin:
England
Type of music generally:
Alternative folk/pop?
Status:
Most recent release, theyesandeye (2016)
See also:
Lou Rhodes' site
Comparisons:
Vashti Bunyan, Kathryn Williams, acoustic Beth Orton or a very folky stripped-down Lamb
Covers/own material:
Own, occasional co-written
General comments:
Lou Rhodes' solo work is almost the opposite of her work with Lamb—it's really stripped-down and simply presented. It has the same emotive power and Lou Rhodes' gorgeous, raspy voice. The main instrumentation is generally acoustic guitar, the focus on Lou Rhodes vocals and lyrics. It's mostly, though not always, low-key. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Beloved One
Recordings:
- Beloved One (2006)
- Bloom (2007)
- One Good Thing (2010)
- theyesandeye (2016)
Beloved One
Release info:
2006—Infinite Bloom Recordings—INFB001
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lou Rhodes—vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, chair legs, bells, bamboos
Guest artists:
Emre Ramazanoglu—stick bundles, udu, percussion, drums, drum kit
Graham Burton—acoustic guitar (1, 6, 8)
Oddur Mar Runarsson—acoustic guitar (1, 2, 3, 6, 10), slide guitar (4); guitar (5); 12 string acoustic guitar (10)
Richard Tamblyn—woodblock (1); additional percussion (8)
Dan Clark—acoustic guitar (2, 6); guitar (5)
Buster Cottam—bowed double bass (2), double bass
Kiris Houston—acoustic guitar, vibraphone (4); guitar (5)
Jason Winder—guitar (5)
Dalia—gitar (5); backing vocals (6, 8-10)
Natalie Harrison—guitar (5)
Chi2 Strings—string arrangements; strings (3, 6)
Echo Strings—strings (1, 3, 7)
Emily Burridge—cello
Mike Simmonds—violin
Isamu—bamboo flute
Sarah Liew (Chi2 Strings)—Erhu (Chinese violin)
Doug King-Smith—Dosh-Poluur (Tuvan guitar)
Lucy Shaw—bowed double bass (10)
Produced by:
Emre Ramazanoglu and Lou Rhodes
Comments:
I'd heard last year about Lou Rhodes (formerly of the duo Lamb) releasing a solo album, but I hadn't heard about its actual release. So I was quite happily surprised to find it at Tower Records. It's a great album, lush, mellow, intense at times, like early autumn or early spring. It could probably be compared to acoustic Beth Orton or a folky Lamb. (JoAnn Whetsell)One of the best albums of 2006. (gordoja@optonline.net)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
