The next Hudson Records Listening Club is this Sunday, 24th May at 10.30 am and features Sam Carter who, along with producer Ian Stephenson, will be listening to and talking about his album “Home Waters”.
In the ten years since winning Best Newcomer at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Sam Carter has earned a reputation for vivid, narrative-driven songwriting and captivating live performances. Renowned as “the finest English-style fingerpicking guitarist of his generation” (Jon Boden), Sam made a spell-binding appearance on Later… with Jools Holland in 2012 and has toured the world, sharing stages with some of the finest guitarists and songwriters, including Nic Jones, Martin Simpson, Richard Thompson, and Chris Wood.
Recorded in a converted church in rural Northumberland, Home Waters captures the full force of Sam Carter’s vivid, narrative-driven songwriting. Featuring the specially-assembled Home Waters String Quartet, the album’s rich emotional landscapes are exquisitely illustrated by producer Ian Stephenson’s cinematic string arrangements. Images of overwhelming floods, rising tides, and conflict-stricken seas sit alongside tales of love and loss, alluding to the search for a sense of belonging and stability in unfamiliar territory.
Home Waters is currently a Featured Album of the Month on Folk Radio and was reviewed by Glenn Kimpton here and who concluded:
“What I love most about this album is the clarity it displays; Sam’s guitar playing has never been better and his writing (and that of his producer Ian Stephenson on ‘Hold Back the Storm’) is clean, wise and often beautiful. The arrangements too are very delicately written, with none of the eight other players featuring across the ten tracks upsetting the balance of the music. To me, Home Waters is Sam Carter’s finest and most confident piece of work so far and best displays the honed talents of this valuable musician. A concise, cohesive and self-assured album that perfectly balances and blends ace song-writing with considered and finely judged arrangements, centred around technically accomplished and nuanced acoustic guitar playing. In short, Home Waters is a must-have.”
Also, read Sam’s recent guest piece on Folk Radio “Story Behind the Song: Suprise View“.
Join us to listen to ’Home Waters’ in its entirety on Sunday, 24th May at 10.30am with commentary and insights from Sam Carter and producer Ian Stephenson. Join Sam online to chat and discuss the album throughout the listening club, say hello in the comments area. You can watch the live stream on Hudson Records and Folk Radio’s facebook pages or Hudson Records YouTube, subscribe, like and follow to receive a notification just before the broadcast.
Streaming Links:
Hudson Records YouTube Channel | Hudson Records Facebook
You can see the previous Listening Clubs from Sam Sweeney, Salt House, Rowan Rheingans, The Lost Words Spells Songs, Karine Polwart, Martin Simpson, The Furrow Collective & Jon Boden here – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPaOuwxBK4LSEa2SmBp4S2GEkhyqSFUTi