Courtney Marie Andrews is still riding the wave of her coming of age confessional Honest Life (reviewed here) which took her from the shadows of playing with the likes Jimmy Eat World and Damien Jurado into a well-earned spotlight. Her stature is set to grow still further with the announcement today of her new full-length album, May Your Kindness Remain, set for release on March 23 via Loose in the UK & Europe and Fat Possum Records/Mama Bird Recording Co. in the USA. But hey, why leave it to words, take a listen to the gospel-tinged title track:
In support of the album, Andrews will tour the US and Europe throughout 2018, including Celtic Connections on 31 January with Adam Holmes and the Embers and a newly confirmed headline show at London’s Islington Assembly Hall on 24 April – see full dates below.
Produced by Mark Howard (Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits), the album was recorded over eight days at a rented house-turned-studio in L.A. In addition to Andrews on vocals and electric/acoustic guitar, the album features Dillon Warnek (electric guitar), Daniel Walter (organ, Wurlitzer, accordion), Charles Wicklander (piano, Wurlitzer), William Mapp (drums, percussion), Alex Sabel (bass) and C.C. White (background vocals).
Of the album and the inspiration behind its ten songs, Andrews comments, “The people that I’ve met on the road these past few years got me thinking about my childhood, and the people around me that I’ve known, and the stories that come from my family. It became clear how many people are struggling through the same issues. People are constantly chasing that bigger life. A lot of people are poor in America—and because of those unattainable goals, they’re also mentally unstable, or sad, or depressed or unfulfilled. A lot of people—myself included at some point in my life—are loving somebody through this. That’s sort of the theme of the record: coming to terms with depression and the reality of the world we’re living in.”
COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
January 31—Glasgow, U.K.—O2 ABC
February 3—Oxford, U.K.—St. Barnabas Church
February 4—Guildford, U.K.—The Keep (matinee show)
February 4—Guildford, U.K.—The Keep (late show)
April 12—Copenhagen, Denmark—Vega
April 13—Berlin, Germany—Privatclub
April 14—Amsterdam, Netherlands—Bitterzoet
April 15—Cologne, Germany—Studio 672
April 16—Brussels, Belgium—AB Club
April 18—Leeds, U.K.—Brudenell Social Club
April 19—Edinburgh, U.K.—Summer Hall
April 20—Dublin, Ireland—Whelan’s
April 21—Liverpool, U.K.—Arts Club
April 22—Manchester, U.K.—Gorilla
April 23—Brighton, U.K.—Komedia
April 24—London, U.K.—Islington Assembly Hall
April 26—Paris, FR—Petit Bain
May Your Kindness Remain Tracklisting
1. May Your Kindness Remain
2. Lift The Lonely From My Heart
3. Two Cold Nights In Buffalo
4. Rough Around The Edges
5. Border
6. Took You Up
7. This House
8. Kindness Of Strangers
9. I’ve Hurt Worse
10. Long Road Back To You
Pre-Order May Your Kindness Remain here: https://cma.lnk.to/mykr
photo credit: Laura E. Partain