Looking for the Thread | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 24, 2025 | |||
Recorded | 2024 (Real Box Studios; Box, England) | |||
Length | 47:28 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Josh Kaufman | |||
Mary Chapin Carpenter chronology | ||||
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Julie Fowlis chronology | ||||
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Karine Polwart chronology | ||||
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Looking for the Thread is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter and Scottish musicians Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart. It was released on January 24,2025,by Lambent Light Records with distribution by Thirty Tigers. [1]
The album was preceded by the release of two singles. The first single,"Hold Everything",was released on November 24,2024. [2] The second single,"A Heart That Never Closes",was released on January 10,2025. [3]
Carpenter first reached out to Fowlis and Polwart in hopes of helping her with an album in 2022 before subsequently meeting together in Northern Scotland for two writing sessions in which eventuated in the recording of what would become Looking for the Thread in early 2024;it was recorded at the Real World Studios in Box,England. [4] Of the recording process,Powlart said in a press release that the musicians who contributed to the album were attentive to the music at the time of recording,adding that the songs were not "pre-produced to within an inch of their lives". [5]
Upon release,Looking for the Thread received positive acclaim from critics. Lyndon Bolton of Folk Alley wrote:"Carpenter's rich,empathetic American folk blends beautifully with the Scots,Fowlis and Polwart,who add their own traditional and contemporary styles." [6] Mike Davies of KLOF Magazine opined that the album "offers a captivating meeting of different but kindred musical minds from different genres and cultures coming seamlessly together with shared themes and emotions". [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Gràdh Geal Mo Chridhe" |
| 4:26 |
2. | "A Heart That Never Closes" | Mary Chapin Carpenter | 5:02 |
3. | "Rebecca" | Karine Polwart | 3:52 |
4. | "Looking for the Thread" | Carpenter | 5:22 |
5. | "Hold Everything" | Polwart | 5:10 |
6. | "Silver in the Blue" | Fowlis | 4:16 |
7. | "You Know Where You Are" |
| 5:08 |
8. | "Satellite" | Carpenter | 4:50 |
9. | "Buidheann Mo Chridhe Clann Ualrig" | Fowlis | 4:04 |
10. | "Send Love" | Carpenter | 5:10 |
Total length: | 47:28 |
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Scottish Albums (OCC) [8] | 9 |
UK Americana Albums (OCC) [9] | 6 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [10] | 8 |
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American country and folk music singer-songwriter. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C.-area clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records. Carpenter's first album, 1987's Hometown Girl, did not produce any charting singles. She broke through with 1989's State of the Heart and 1990's Shooting Straight in the Dark.
A shruti box is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, that traditionally works on a system of bellows. It is similar to a harmonium and is used to provide a drone in a practice session or concert of Indian classical music. It is used as an accompaniment to other instruments and notably the flute. The shruti box is also used in classical singing. In classical singing, the shruti box is used to help tune the voice. The use of the shruti box has widened with the cross-cultural influences of world music and new-age music to provide a drone for many other instruments as well as vocalists and mantra singing.
The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2.
Karine Polwart is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised for her solo career, winning three awards at the BBC Folk Awards in 2005, and was previously a member of Malinky and Battlefield Band.
Julie Fowlis is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic.
State of the Heart is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Columbia Records on June 13, 1989.
A Place in the World is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Columbia Records on October 22, 1996. It rose to No. 3 on the Billboard's Country Albums chart and No. 20 on the Billboard 200, with four of its tracks reaching the Hot Country Songs chart: "Let Me into Your Heart", "I Want to Be Your Girlfriend", and "Keeping the Faith".
Harem Scarem is a Scottish folk band.
Scribbled in Chalk is the second studio album by Scottish folk musician Karine Polwart, released on 7 March 2006.
The discography of American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter consists of 17 studio albums, four compilation albums, three video albums, 41 singles, 15 music videos, and 88 album appearances. After recording a demo tape, she was signed to Columbia Records in 1987 and released her debut studio album Hometown Girl (1987). In June 1989, Carpenter's second studio album State of the Heart was issued, which transitioned more towards country music. Among its four singles, both "Never Had It So Good" and "Quittin' Time" became top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart.
Dual is an album by four acclaimed Irish and Scottish musicians: Éamon Doorley, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Julie Fowlis and Ross Martin.
Party Doll and Other Favorites is the first compilation album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Columbia Records on May 25, 1999. It comprises a mix of her greatest hits, several album cuts, and newly recorded tracks, including "Almost Home", which reached No. 22 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and No. 85 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Age of Miracles is the 11th studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released on April 27, 2010 by Zoë Records, her third album released under the Zoë label.
"Passionate Kisses" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. It was released in 1989 as the fourth single from her third album, Lucinda Williams (1988).
Traces is the fifth studio album by Scottish folk musician Karine Polwart, released in 2012. It was her first solo album in four years, though she had appeared as part of the collaborations Darwin Song Project, The Burns Unit and The Fruit Tree Foundation.
The Very Best of Dolly Parton is a compilation album by Dolly Parton, released 7 March 2007. It was certified platinum in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Whistle Down the Wind is the 26th studio album by American folk singer and musician Joan Baez, released on March 2, 2018, her first studio album in almost a decade. The album features songs written by such composers as Tom Waits, Josh Ritter and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Joe Henry produced the album.
The Dirt and the Stars is the 16th studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Lambent Light Records on August 7, 2020.
The Things That We Are Made Of is the 14th studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Lambent Light Records on May 6, 2016. The album was produced by Dave Cobb.
Sometimes Just the Sky is a 15th studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Lambent Light Records on March 30, 2018. It features re-recorded songs from earlier in her career, with one track from each of her previous studio albums and a new title track. The album has received positive reviews from critics and was commercially successful, placing on several charts, and topping Official Americana Albums Chart in the United Kingdom.