Since the digital download release of ‘Mimi’ in April last year, ex-This Mortal Coil and The Hope Blister vocalist Louise Rutkowski has been working with co-writer Irvin Duguid on her new album. It is nearing completion, and in order to get to the release stage Louise is launching a fundraising campaign with Pledge Music. Part of the Pledge manifesto is to donate to a charity chosen by the artist and Louise has chosen Attitude is Everything, who work tirelessly to improve access to music for deaf and disabled people.
To get the ball rolling Louise is offering a free track, It’s Time, mixed and mastered by Calum Malcolm. To get it, go to Louise's website and click on the download button in the Pledge widget that you’ll see on the home page.
Watch this space for more news about the album's release.
In case you missed the first box set of TMC, or you just want to add to your collection, a re-mastered box set has just been released. It has beautiful packaging design by Vaughn Oliver. There’s a feature article in the January edition of MOJO magazine.
Release of “Angel” by Waves on Canvas, Psychonavigation Records, Dublin
I have collaborated with a wonderful musician and artist in Italy and this is the result! Stefano Guzzetti contacted me as a TMC fan and I loved his own music and website (see www.stefanoguzzetti.com), so we did an artistic exchange: I sang on this track and he made the video for “Mimi” – perfect! I hope to work more with Stefano in the future so watch this space! The release has 4AD connections, with the artwork being done by Vaughan Oliver and a remix by John Fryer. It wasn’t intentional, but just happened that way, which is nice. I hope you like it.
This is progressing well and Irvin and me have been busy writing new material which we’re delighted with. I’ll be launching a Pledge Music campaign soon, so will keep you posted on that. This will be to raise the funds we need to put towards recording, manufacturing, and promotion. You can read more about Pledge at: www.pledgemusic.com.
As ever, a big thank you to those of you who keep in touch and are endlessly patient on the emergence of this record!
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.
