Music For Grown-ups: Louise Rutkowski's new single 'Mimi' is out

Following a hiatus from recording of Kate Bush proportions, ex-This Mortal Coil and The Hope Blister vocalist Louise Rutkowski releases ‘Mimi’; the first of several ‘taster tracks’, and the product of a writing partnership with Glaswegian musician Irvin Duguid. ‘Mimi’ has been mixed by Calum Malcolm, recording engineer for The Blue Nile, and marks a return to the writing of original material by Louise since her music career began with the soul-influenced band Sunset Gun, in the 1980s.

In the early 90s, Louise worked with acclaimed film composer Craig Armstrong OBE (Moulin Rouge, Love Actually, NEDS) releasing the album ‘Hope’ in the US with Interscope Records, under the name The Kindness of Strangers. Based in London until 2005, she returned to her hometown of Glasgow, where she was introduced to writer/arranger Irvin Duguid and was struck by the wealth of delicate and beautiful fragments of music that he had written and stored away. Writing began, with Louise providing lyrics and melodies, until the loss of her mother, Mimi, in September 2007, and work ceased for several years.

“‘Mimi’ and the tracks which will follow it over the coming months in some respects pick up where ‘Diva’ by Annie Lennox left off, but lean more towards the introspection and atmosphere of The Blue Nile and Canadian songstress Mary Margaret O’Hara, whose album ‘Miss America’ is a major influence “ said Louise Rutkowski. “My mother never stopped encouraging me to continue in music no matter what and ‘Mimi’ is my testament to her and her belief in me.”

Choosing to focus on live performance in small theatre settings, her last recorded output was in 2001. ‘6 Songs’, an EP that featured the songs of Randy Newman, accompanied a show entitled ‘Short Stories’ which Louise performed around the UK and at Edinburgh Festival. This, and subsequent shows of material by Bobbie Gentry and Jeannie C. Riley amongst others followed. Louise says, “In this period I learned all I could of performing in intimate settings, which felt right for me artistically having grown tired of the music ‘industry’. I had to re-connect with music itself and recording or dealing with record labels was not a priority for me. However, the desire to write again grew stronger and stronger and coincided with my return to Glasgow. Somehow, I knew it was the place for me to be if I wanted to pursue a new creative direction.”

Most definitely music for grown ups, ‘Mimi’ and the tracks that will follow cover subjects ranging from obsession, infidelity, to romantic longing, and trying to survive in an increasingly confused and confusing world. This new music will re-establish Louise Rutkowski as the voice of choice for those who have room for music in their collection that suit those more melancholy, introspective and reflective moments life brings.

Download Mimi on iTunes http://bit.ly/eUV2cA