As noted in the review of her 2018 album May Your Kindness Remain, Courtney Marie Andrews is often perceived as a relative newcomer even though she made her recording debut back in 2008 with Urban Myths. That said, her profile here in the UK has blossomed following the release of Honest Life in 2016 and the aforementioned May Your Kindness Remain which culminated in her winning International Artist of the Year at the 2018 UK Americana Awards.
She will be returning to these shores in June, including London’s Omeara on 18th June (details below) to tie in with her highly anticipated new album, Old Flowers which is out on 5th June on Loose / Fat Possum Records. To celebrate, she has shared her new album track, “If I Told,”:
Created in the aftermath of a long-term relationship, Old Flowers features Andrews’ most vulnerable writing to date on ten new songs that chronicle her journey through heartbreak, loneliness and finding herself again after it all.
Andrews reflects, “Old Flowers is about heartbreak. There are a million records and songs about that, but I did not lie when writing these songs. This album is about loving and caring for the person you know you can’t be with. It’s about being afraid to be vulnerable after you’ve been hurt. It’s about a woman who is alone, but okay with that, if it means truth. This was my truth this year—my nine-year relationship ended and I’m a woman alone in the world, but happy to know herself.”
Produced by Andrew Sarlo (Bon Iver, Big Thief), the album was recorded at Sound Space Studio and features only three musicians: Andrews (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Twain’s Matthew Davidson (bass, celeste, mellotron, pedal steel, piano, pump organ, wurlitzer, background vocals) and Big Thief’s James Krivchenia (drums, percussion).
Of their intention, Sarlo adds, “Before we got to the studio, we agreed to prioritize making this record as cathartic and minimal as possible—focusing on Courtney’s voice and her intention behind the songs. Because of this, the record is all about performance. I believe a great recording is the chemistry between everything during basics and the ability to feel something happening instead of obsessing over the perfect take. Courtney embraced this approach and we ended up with a raw, natural and human record.”
COURTNEY MARIE ANDREWS TOUR DATES
March 5—Milwaukee, WI—Riverside Theatre*
March 8—Toronto, ON—Roy Thomson Hall*
March 9—Toronto, ON—Roy Thomson Hall*
March 10—Boston, MA—Orpheum Theatre*
March 11—Chicago, IL—Old Town School of Folk Music†
March 12—Chicago, IL—Old Town School of Folk Music†
March 13—Chicago, IL—Old Town School of Folk Music†
March 14—Chicago, IL—Old Town School of Folk Music†
March 16—Fort Collins, CO—Washington’s†
March 19—San Francisco, CA—Great American Music Hall†
March 20—San Francisco, CA—Great American Music Hall†
March 21—San Francisco, CA—Great American Music Hall†
March 23—San Luis Obispo, CA—Fremont Theater†
March 25—West Hollywood, CA—Troubadour†
March 26—West Hollywood, CA—Troubadour†
March 27—West Hollywood, CA—Troubadour†
April 24-25—Indio, CA—Stagecoach Music Festival
May 7—New Haven, CT—College Street Music Hall†
May 8—Philadelphia, PA—Union Transfer†
May 9—Boston, MA—Royale†
May 10—Portsmouth, NH—Music Hall†
May 13—Washington, DC—9:30 Club†
May 14—New York, NY—Webster Hall†
May 15—New York, NY—Webster Hall†
June 5—Nashville, TN— Analog
June 9—Brooklyn, NY—Union Pool
June 12—Oslo, Norway—Oslo Americana
June 13-14—Stockholm, Sweden—Stockholm Americana
June 14—Beekse Bergen, NL—Best Kept Secret
June 16—Birmingham, UK—Hare & Hounds
June 17—Pocklington, UK—Pocklington Arts Centre
June 18—London, UK— Omeara
June 19-21—Tunbridge Wells, UK—Black Deer Festival
June 21—Nottingham, UK—Metronome
June 22—Oxford, UK—Wesley Memorial Church
July 10—Minneapolis, MN—Basilica Block Party
*with Nathaniel Rateliff
†with The Tallest Man on Earth
Pre-Order Old Flowers here: https://cma.lnk.to/OldFlowersPR
Photo Credit: Sam Stenson