Sweet Liberty | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 September 2003 (UK) 23 March 2004 (worldwide) | |||
Recorded | 2002–2003 | |||
Genre | Folk, rock, pop, Celtic | |||
Length | 55:29 | |||
Label | Rough Trade | |||
Producer | Sam Lakeman; John Reynolds (track 4) | |||
Cara Dillon chronology | ||||
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Singles from Sweet Liberty | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
RTE | [1] |
Allmusic | [2] |
Artists Direct | [3] |
Hot Press | (7/10) [4] |
Sweet Liberty is the second solo album from folk artist Cara Dillon. It was recorded at their home studio in Frome, Somerset. Similar to her debut album, Sweet Liberty was produced and recorded by Sam Lakeman, her husband and musical partner. Additional production was by John Reynolds, who also plays drums on the album and mixed it along with Alan Branch.
The album features Dillon's popular version of Tommy Sands' folk song on sectarianism and The Troubles in Northern Ireland, "There Were Roses", which was recorded especially for Billy Connolly's TV series Billy Connolly's World Tour of England, Ireland and Wales. The popularity of Dillon's version of the song led to a BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards nomination for Tommy Sands in the Best Original Song category. [5]
Promo 1-track singles of "High Tide", "There Were Roses" and "Everywhere" were sent to radio to encourage airplay of the album. A 4-track album sampler was also released prior to the release of the album, including "Black Is the Colour" and "Blue Mountain River" from Cara Dillon and "There Were Roses" and "Everywhere".
All songs traditional/arranged by Dillon/Lakeman, except: 3, 5, 9, 10 (written by Dillon/Lakeman); 1 (written by Dillon/Lakeman/Bigham); 4 (written by Sands); 11 (written by Moynihan/Woods)
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
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UK Albums Chart [6] | 116 |
Irish Albums Chart [7] | 34 |
UK Indie Albums Chart | 40^ |
Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, and is one of the best known contemporary English folk singers. In 2001 The Guardian described her as "a superstar of the British acoustic scene." In 2007 the BBC website described her as "The first lady of young folkies". She is one of the few folk singers to have been nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Cara Elizabeth Dillon is a Northern Irish folk singer. In 1995, she joined the folk supergroup Equation and signed a record deal with Warners Music Group. After leaving the group, she collaborated with Sam Lakeman under the name Polar Star. In 2001, she released her first solo album, Cara Dillon, which featured traditional songs and two original Dillon/Lakeman compositions. The album was an unexpected hit in the folk world, with Dillon receiving four nominations at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
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.
Thomas David Roe is an American rock and pop singer-songwriter.
Seth Bernard Lakeman is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who is most often associated with the fiddle and tenor guitar, but also plays the viola and banjo. Nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize, Lakeman has belonged to several musical ensembles, including one with his two brothers, fellow folk musicians Sam Lakeman and Sean Lakeman, but has most recently established himself as a solo act.
Kathryn Roberts is an English folk singer, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
"There Were Roses" is an Irish folk song based on a true story. It was written by the Northern Ireland folk singer and songwriter Tommy Sands.
Cara Dillon is the debut solo album from the Irish folk artist Cara Dillon. It was recorded at The Firs, producer/partner Sam Lakeman's parents' house. There were also recordings made in County Donegal, Ireland. The album was mixed by John Reynolds. It contained nine traditional songs Dillon had known since her schooldays and also had two original songs, "Blue Mountain River" and "I Wish I Was".
After the Morning is the third solo album from folk artist Cara Dillon. It was recorded at their home studio in Frome, Somerset, Mayfair Studios, Kore Studios, Amberville Studios and Sun Street Studios. The strings and brass were recorded in Prague. Similar to her previous albums, After the Morning was produced by Sam Lakeman, her husband and musical partner. Additional production was by Mike 'Spike' Drake, who also mixed the album. It features the singles "Never in a Million Years", and the double A-side of "I Wish You Well" and "This Time".
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Hill of Thieves is the fourth solo album by Irish folk singer Cara Dillon. It is her first full-length release on Charcoal Records, the label formed in 2008 with her musical partner and husband Sam Lakeman. The album was recorded and produced by Sam and first became available in October 2008 at their live concerts. It is also the first release since she gave birth to their twin boys Noah and Colm at 26 weeks, after going into labour onstage at the Swindon Arts Centre, UK. It has been the most successful of her first four albums in relation to chart performance, entering at No. 7 in the UK Indie Album Charts
Tommy Sands is a Northern Irish folk singer, songwriter, radio broadcaster, and political activist. He performs with his three siblings as the Sands Family; solo as Tommy Sands; and with his son and daughter as Tommy Sands with Moya and Fionán Sands. Tommy was the prime songwriter for the Sands Family, one of Ireland's most influential folk groups of the 1960s and 1970s.
Samuel Charles Lakeman is an English musician, songwriter, and producer and co-owner of Charcoal Records.
Sean Lakeman is an English folk musician and record producer.
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Joseph Francis, better known by the stage name Winter Mountain, is an English singer-songwriter, based in Cornwall. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, piano, and harmonica, whose music is predominantly indie folk/rock.
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