- Calling Jemima Thewes 6:30
Jemima is a singer/songwriter who grew up in the highlands of Scotland in an atmospheric landscape which continues to help fuel the bones of her material.
She sings traditional songs and her own material. A lover of ballads, but too shy to share them with anyone, it wasn’t until 2013 when she was greatly impacted by an illness which took her to the edge of her life and back again that she truly found her voice and began writing songs in earnest.
Jemima writes songs that are deeply textured with layers of grit, tenderness, mischief, humour and wisdom. Her debut album ‘Calling’ is inspired by the fleetingness of life and the tragicomedy-ness of human existence. It was recorded and produced by producer and multi-instrumentalist Tim Lane (Hidden Orchestra) who also accompanies Jemima musically on a potent array of rhythmic tuned percussion, drum kit and backing vocals.
The album holds new work written by Jemima, plus a traditional ballad and features various musician pals to create an enveloping folksy fusion of dark songs and bright, deep rhythms. With lyrics and melodies that creep up and catch you unawares and beats that get you moving in spirit and body. These cloud-hopping tales are told by warm, powerful vocals and carried on a bed of heavy, playful percussion and strings, evoking highland landscapes, the underworld and transformation.
The musician pals featured are: Morag Brown and Kate Young on fiddles, Misha Somerville on low whistle, Jem Le Lievre on bass guitar, on top of the core 4-piece band of David Boyter on guitar and mandolin, Susan Appelbe on cello, Tim Lane on tongue drum, kit, and backing vocals, and Jemima on voice, ukulele, tenor guitar, bass guitar, shruti box and jaws harp.
The album follows Jemima’s debut EP Bright Shadows, also recorded with Tim Lane, which was released independently in 2015 to much acclaim, with radio plays on Travelling Folk and Late Junction.
Quotes about ‘Calling’: “This record has a truly transportive quality to it. Jemima’s other-worldly vocal is carried on a river of tasteful instrumentation which always enhances, and never distracts. A beautiful thing” – Martin Green, Lau
The album is so beautiful. It’s a great combo of ethereal, sort of Brian Eno/Enya hallucination and dreaminess, and world music. If it was just one thing, it wouldn’t have near the beauty and compelling quality of that particular combination.
Rosanne Cash
SOURCE: Official Bio
