Elle Osborne has announced the release of her new album It’s Not Your Gold Shall Me Entice on November 6th 2015, on 9th House Recordings, the home of her acclaimed debut, Testimony.
Her third solo album, It’s Not Your Gold Shall Me Entice is the first to feature her own songs. With a nod to her musical roots – and her adopted home of Sussex. The one traditional song on the new album is “Come Write Me Down” from English folk royalty, the Copper family, whence comes the album’s title (with the blessing of chief John Copper, himself). With this one exception, all tracks were written, arranged and produced by Elle.
At the heart of the album is Elle’s unique vocal sound, which Alex Neilson of Trembling Bells likens to “A cross between Lal Waterson and Nico”. Also featured, are her recurrent collaborators Alasdair Roberts on backing vocals and bass and Alex Neilson, with his Trembling Bells colleague, Mike Hastings, on drums and guitars, respectively.
Listen to the opening track, “I Don’t Like Sundays” below which we’ve chosen as our Song of the Day:
It’s Not Your Gold Shall Me Entice was recorded in four sunny days on the south coast of England, by David Lynch, best known for his work with Ed Harcourt. Elle’s collaborators, being veterans of inner-city Glasgow’s music scene, were none too impressed by the genteel seaside setting, with Mike Hastings quipping, “Eastbourne’s so depressing, no wonder they put Beachy Head there!”.
The album’s front cover photo shows Elle’s grandmother, Katherine Compton in a drinking competition at Sidmouth Festival in the 1960s. Elle grew up thinking this’s what grandmothers did! Kath Compton is still remembered by many in British and Irish folk music for booking The Watersons, Peter Bellamy, et al, for their first folk club gigs.
Still the voice of the outsider, and now with added touches of Americana to her folk heritage, It’s Not Your Gold Shall Me Entice is Elle’s most accessible record to date.