Liz Simmons is the lead singer and guitarist from award-winning Folk/Roots band Low Lily. Poets is her eagerly-anticipated solo album which has UK impact date of April 16th, 2021.
The self-produced album features the mixing talents of Ben Savage (Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage) and the mastering skills of Nick Cooke (Kate Rusby). Liz provides her own guitar and piano, alongside guest musicians such as dobro phenom Andy Hall (The Infamous Stringdusters), pedal steel legend Pete Grant (The Grateful Dead), and cello virtuoso Natalie Haas, among many others. The album was originally set for release in the summer of 2020, but with the pandemic came major setbacks and delays. However, Liz and her engineering team got creative and figured out how to finish it, and there are now elements in the album that wouldn’t be there had it not been for the pandemic!
Below, you can listen to the album in full and read Liz’s personal track by track guide to Poets.
About the Album “POETS”
I love creating music, at home, onstage and in the studio, and have been doing so professionally for over
fifteen years in various collaborations. Audiences tell me over and over again how important it is to them to
hear music that speaks to them, and how meaningful it is. That reflection that music creates– that
connection– is the magic of music, and the stories we tell as musicians. That is why I am calling the album
“Poets”. Each song tells a story through its lyrics, but also through its musical arc, its history and my
connection to it.
POETS – Track by Track
- When the Waters Rise
This song was written in the fall of 2019 expressly for this album. It points to climate change and also to
change in general, and what it means to be present for the pivotal moments in our lives. - Who Knows Where the Time Goes
I have loved Sandy Denny’s music since I was a teen, and I arranged this cover a few years ago. To me, her
lyrics reflect the story of human life in its grander scheme. - Poets
This song was inspired by the bookstore/coffee shop Busboys and Poets in DC. It is about a woman writing
a story who gets so absorbed in the tale that the lines begin to blur between fact and fiction. - My Love Lies in the Ground
I love Dirk Powell’s music, and this is my favorite song of his. It is a beautiful, spooky love song where one
lover dies, and the other won’t leave their graveside. - Adventurer
I wrote this one several years ago when I was reading a lot of adventure and fantasy novels with my son. I
was fascinated by stories that tell of a journey, finding that they often resemble the
story of The Odyssey in that the adventurer leaves thinking they will never return. In the end the traveler
does return home, but with a renewed understanding of what home truly means. - Sailing in to Shore
This song is one of two on the album written when I lived in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It is a love song
inspired by harbor life and Gloucester’s rich history. - Night in the City
I worked up this arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s classic song when I was performing regularly with English
folk singer Hannah Sanders. We had so much fun singing this playful number
together, so naturally I had to have her sing on the recording. Joni has been a big part of my development as
an artist, so it was important to me to include a cover on the album as an homage. - This Old Heart of Mine
I was exposed to so many different musical styles growing up – Motown being an important one. I loved
Diana Ross and the Supremes, and we had the album “A’ Go-Go” on vinyl and I
remember dancing to this song as a child. I started to work up a bluegrass-inspired cover of it a couple
years ago, and think the song works well with a string band treatment. - Home From the Storm
This is the other song written during my time living in Gloucester, inspired by the iconic statue that sits on
the boulevard of a mother and her children staring wistfully out to sea. I wanted the style of this song to be
a departure from my usual sound so we arranged it with more of an electric soundscape, which I think gives
it a magical feel.