Lisa Redford Biography

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“One of our finest singer/songwriters” Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2

“brilliant! Lisa has a great voice” Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze)

“She brings an honest songwriting style and beautiful vocal styling to every one of her songs..In a sea of smart female singer-songwriters, Lisa Redford is an admiral” Maverick Magazine ****

“Elegant and tender folk, country and Americana.” Songwriting Magazine

“There is a warmth and welcoming vibe to Redford’s music that really is difficult to resist” Americana UK

“Her grasp of texture, mode and fearlessness in giving it all, I suspect, comes with the realisation that she actually possesses a voice able to do her musical vision justice” RnR Magazine ****

“a breath of fresh air. Hers is a pure and quite lovely voice which delivers some sweet Americana-tinged songs from the heart” Manchester Evening News

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Praised by legendary BBC Radio 2 broadcaster Bob Harris as “one of our finest singer/songwriters”, Lisa Redford has gained worldwide acclaim for her heartfelt acoustic music which blends country, folk, Americana and pop with memorable melodies and stunning vocals. She has also worked as a session vocalist and written and recorded in many genres including dance and electronic music.

Lisa has independently released three acclaimed studio albums Slipstream’, ‘Lost Again’ and ‘Clouds with Silver’ and three EP’s: ‘Reminders’, ‘Another Place and Time’ and ‘Edge of Love’ that have received airplay across the world including on Bob Harris’s BBC Radio 2 shows. Her acoustic song ‘Dragonfly’ was played on his ‘Best of British’ show’ which showcased the finest songwriters in the UK. She recorded two live sessions and interviews for the Saturday night show on Radio 2 and also been invited to appear as the special guest at a ‘Bob Harris presents Americana’ showcase in London.

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An engaging and expressive live performer, Lisa has performed lots of prestigious venues in the UK, Europe, New York City and Vancouver and performed with, and opened for, many respected artists within the worlds of folk, Americana and country including Tom McRae, Chuck Prophet, Hazel O’Connor, Kathryn Williams, Brian Kennedy, Laura Veirs, Sarah Darling, Danny and the Champions of the World, The Handsome Family, The Dreaming Spires, Devon Sproule, Jenn Bostic, The Hot Club of Cowtown, The Deadstring Brothers, Eileen Rose, Rod Picott, Gina Villalobos, Corb Lund, Jeff Black, The Arlenes, Eve Selis, Morganway, Jess Klein, Peter Mulvey, Jesse Sykes, Kevin Welch, Johnathan Rice, Al Lewis, Michael Logen and Kate Campbell.

Debut album ‘Slipstream’ captured a very acoustic sound, close to Lisa’s wonderful live performance and garnered press acclaim and her first airplay on BBC Radio 2 with the touching piano ballad ‘Be Around’.

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Second album ‘Lost Again’, produced by musician and songwriter Gabriel Minnikin, a former member of acclaimed Canadian alt-country band, The Guthries, added beautiful lush arrangements and instrumentation to her blend of exquisitely melodic roots pop. The album received even more airplay on Bob Harris’s Radio 2 shows and on radio stations throughout Europe and the US. It also received great print reviews and made the Top 50 Americana albums of the year at Americana UK. The acclaimed ‘Dragonfly’ was also featured in an independent film in LA called ‘Seized’. The album closed with her live heartfelt version of Neal Casal’s ‘Fell on Hard Times’ which also received many plays on Bob Harris’s show.

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Alongside the studio CD, she also released a digital only acoustic record, ‘Lost Again – The Acoustic Sessions’. The limited edition album, available at the online store, includes the original live studio versions of the songs from Lost Again. Beautifully recorded, the songs truly reveal Lisa’s soulful and powerful voice with just acoustic guitar and touches of mandolin and is a wonderful chance to hear the songs from Lost Again in their original form and includes a rare bonus track ‘Changing Times’. The album is available here.

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Third album ‘Clouds with Silver’ was co-produced with respected musician and producer Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson) in Brooklyn, NYC. Featuring eleven finely crafted self-written songs, the album took Lisa’s blend of exquisitely melodic acoustic music to another level. With most tracks recorded live, the album is infused with a real intimacy showcasing Lisa’s soulful and powerful voice and heartfelt lyrics. From album opener, the upbeat radio friendly “Come Back Down”, to the sweeping uplifting “Live Your Life”, through to the plaintive yearning ballads “The Boy Who…” and “Makes Your Heart Sing”, the album is full of standout tracks. Other highlights include the dreamy “Call Me” and “NY Song” which also display her dynamic and evocative voice and immense gift for melodic hooks. The album closes with live tracks “New Years Day” and “Time to Grow”. Recorded live in the studio with just her voice and acoustic guitar, these two tracks totally capture the raw heartfelt emotion of Lisa’s live performance.

The acoustic songs are also enriched by some truly beautiful string arrangements. “Makes Your Heart Sing” and “Here Alone” feature strings by one of Nashville’s most highly regarded producers David Henry (Josh Rouse, Alison Krauss, REM) and New York based violinist Claudia Chopek (Ryan Adams, HEM) created the wonderful lilting arrangements on “NY Song” and “Live Your Life”. More of New York’s most outstanding musicians guest on some of the tracks. Superb drummer Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright) adds his talent to the two full band tracks and the excellent guitarist Jim Campilongo (in Norah Jones’s The Little Willies) contributes his trademark Telecaster sound to the upbeat Americana track ‘When You Come Home’.

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Like Lisa’s previous albums, Clouds with Silver is available at iTunes, Fish Records and distributed through Proper Distribution, the UK’s biggest independent distributors, who feel it is ‘a very strong and confident piece of work that deserves to be heard’.

It earned even more glowing press reviews, airplay on BBC Radio 2 and other radio shows and Lisa was made Artist to Watch at Acoustic Café, radio’s best international showcase for acoustic music. Also her rare, previously unreleased acoustic version of a Nick Drake song, ‘Voice from the Mountain’ appeared on the digital version of an amazing benefit compilation ‘Blue Skies, Daisy Days’ out on US label Planting Seeds Records.

In 2009, following a publishing deal with a much respected publishers in New York City, Lisa was also based in the US and performed showcases, recorded brand new material and continued to earn new fans on either side of the pond. March 2010 saw her first UK solo headlining ‘Clouds with Silver’ tour and a second invite to do a live session and interview on the Bob Harris Show.

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January 2011 saw the release of Lisa’s first live album, the digital only release ‘Lisa Redford Live’ recorded during Lisa’s homecoming Norwich Arts Centre concert which was part of the UK headline tour. Captivating a packed audience with just her stunning voice and acoustic guitar,  ‘Live’ took the listener on a warm and intimate music journey combining material from the three studio albums. ‘Lisa Redford Live’ is available here.

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In 2012 Lisa released an EP called ‘Reminders’ recorded in Brooklyn, NYC and produced by Jeff Hill a respected  and incredibly talented musician who has recorded and toured with artists including Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Neal Casal and Erin McKeown. Taking the listener on a warm music journey, ‘Reminders’ is a combination of acoustic and band songs with Lisa playing her acoustic guitar against a background of bass, piano, strings and drums played by some of NYC’s finest musicians. The release continues her strong melodic sensibility and gift for well-crafted songs. The acoustic title track possesses a moody, haunting quality and is enhanced with a beautiful arrangement of double bass, cello and piano. ‘Summer on the L’ is an upbeat radio-friendly pop song with lush harmonies and a breezy folk-pop feel, perfect for the summer. ‘Dreaming in Crowds’, as the title suggests, is a dreamy and reflective track in which she shares her thoughts about the challenges and joys of new beginnings in a busy city like Manhattan. The EP closes with the powerful and beautiful ballad ‘So Many Words’ illustrating Lisa’s stunning voice and soulful lyrics.

As well as playing his consummate electric and double bass, Jeff contributes keyboards, cello and backing vocals. All tracks also feature acclaimed keyboardist Didi Gutman, composer and arranger for the Grammy Award-nominated Brazilian Girls. Lisa’s words about the release and working with Jeff: “he really understood where I was coming from musically and I’m so happy with how it sounds. As with all my material, the songs really come from the heart and these really represent where I am musically right now. There’s a theme running through of reflecting and looking back with a couple of the songs certainly inspired about my time in NYC.”

Throughout 2012 and 2013 Lisa appeared at many festivals including Latitude Festival, Homegrown, Ipswich Music Day and Sound & Vision. She also became a regular columnist for Songwriting Magazine where she offers advice to thousands of readers. The year closed with the release of her self-produced Christmas single ‘St Benedict’s Christmas Fair’ which received airplay on Bob Harris’s festive show and other festival playlists and folk shows across the world.

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In February 2014 Lisa released ‘The Sweetest Dream’ a compilation of acoustic Americana love songs that were featured on Amazing Radio and Radio 2. The digital release is available at Lisa Redford Bandcamp Also in 2014 she performed an Under the Apple Tree session for Bob Harris which included an interview with Bob. In 2014 and 2015 she was selected to perform the pop-up stages at C2C Country to Country Festival at London’s O2, the biggest country music festival in Europe.

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Another EP arrived in 2016 with the release of  ‘Another Place and Time’ worldwide through Proper Music Distribution. Produced by Jose McGill from the renowned and award-winning The Vagaband, he also plays double bass, drums, percussion, electric guitar and hammond organ. Outstanding musician Noel Dashwood – who has performed live with Lisa at various concerts and festivals – contributes his wonderful dobro as well as ukulele, harmonies and harmonica.

A warm, soulful and acoustic release, ‘Another Place in Time‘ opens with the instantly memorable and melodic single ‘Music and the Mountains‘. The bittersweet and heartfelt title track follows. ‘Remember Me’ is a hooky radio-friendly band track and moving ballad ‘Worst Kind of Love’ closes the EP.

‘Another Place and Time’ received glowing print and blow reviews, as well as airplay on many Americana, folk, singer-songwriter and country music shows including Bob Harris’s Radio 2 show and Baylen Leonard’s ‘The Front Porch’ on Amazing Radio. Later that year she released her second self-produced Christmas single ‘When Christmas Comes Around.’

Lisa has also written songs for others. Summer 2016 saw the release of Breeze Redwine’s debut single ‘Courage’. Breeze’s performance of the song earned her the Best Original Song Award at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Hollywood. In 2015 Lisa’s original acoustic song ‘Here Alone’ was performed by Breeze at the final of TeenStar and her beautiful performance of the song resulted in Breeze winning the prestigious Pre-Teen Award. During 2016 – 2018 Lisa played various major gigs supporting acclaimed artists such as Eliza Carthy, Sarah Darling and Tom McRae and was also invited to record a second live acoustic session for Bob Harris and Under the Apple Tree.

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In 2019 Lisa released EP ‘Edge of Love’. Produced by José McGill, who had produced ‘Another Place and Time’, the five self-written songs feature beautiful arrangements and instrumentation performed by a host of the finest musicians in the UK; pedal steel player Alan Cook (My Darling Clementine, Chris Hillman of The Byrds), Noel Dashwood of folk trio Alden, Patterson and Dashwood, guitarist Mark Howes – nominated in the British Blues Awards – and award-winning cellist Ivan McCready (The Pretenders, Blur, John Cale, George Michael) with drums and mastering by Mikey Shaw at The Crunch – Recording Studio, near Norwich.

“Edge of Love” opens with the instantly memorable and melodic first single ‘Anything but Easy’. The heartfelt title track, with its haunting cello and piano, follows. Second single “Let Go” is an infectious Americana tinged band track. The moving third single release “I Just Can’t Forget” showcases a country soul influence, while the delicate bittersweet acoustic ballad “Alone Tonight”, with its subtle sonic layers and textures, closes the EP. 

The release blends Lisa’s folk, Americana and country influences with a strong melodic pop sensibility. “I always write from the heart and these songs are no exception. I’m drawn to songs that have a sadness lyrically but the music is melodious. The combination of the two makes it feel bittersweet.” says Lisa. Discussing the themes of the release she says, “There is a real emotional honesty running through the EP. Realising how hard it is to let go, and also letting yourself go, is a heartfelt motif; whether you know you need to let go of someone or something or letting yourself go emotionally – letting down your guard, being open to feeling vulnerable even if that means getting hurt.”

‘Edge of Love’ gained the best reviews of Lisa’s career with effusive, rave print reviews and airplay on many radio stations including many BBC shows, including Ralph McLean’s show on BBC Radio Ulster, Chris Country and various radio stations across the world. ‘Let Go’ earned a place on The Ditty Dozen, Ditty TV’s international Spotify playlist which showcases the most exciting artists in Americana. Lisa promoted ‘Edge of Love’ by playing various festivals and shows including Red Rooster Festival where she was part of something very special: selected to perform on a PRS EuKeychange inspired stage curated by the AMA-UK and Americana artist Sunny Ozell as part of a pledge to have 50/50 gender balance by 2022.

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Lisa has continued to contribute articles to Songwriting Magazine, where she reviews and previews gigs and music events. Artists she has interviewed include Courtney Marie Andrews, Lachlan Bryan and Ethan Johns. She has also written articles for the Evening News Newspaper and writes a column for All Things Norfolk website which details arts and music in the Norfolk area. Since December 2018 she also has been hosting a music show on Future Radio in Norwich and in 2020 she also wrote a fundraising single for the community station. ‘This Fine City’ earned wide media coverage and worldwide airplay. 

Lisa is also an accomplished and experienced music tutor and session vocalist. If you’re a band or artist interested in having Lisa’s beautiful vocals on your record or at a live show, please get in contact.

“Distinguished by classy songwriting and a heartfelt delivery..she’s a class act.” RnR Magazine ****

“She has that particular voice that gives you chills of happiness..With her guitar she knows how to express all kinds of emotions.” Rock ‘n’ Reviews, France

“Live, her voice really has immense power yet great control too and reminds me of the same heart worn tender vibrato of a young Emmylou Harris. Lisa’s voice is purer with a warm timbre, but has that same raw emotion in her voice that makes you feel she has lived through all the heartbreak she sings and writes about.” Americana UK Live Review

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Jon Clifton Photography

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