A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of popping into Tesla Studios here in Sheffield for a few hours to revisit some of the beautiful songs of my long-standing (and thus long-suffering) friend Neil McSweeney.
With the incredible engineering/production talent of Andy Bell at the helm, we approached 4 tracks live & stripped back. With no click and on a tight deadline, it schooled me in the “less is more” approach and pushed me out of my comfort zone in a very good way. I loved it, and want to do more of it. The songs were already familiar to me in their previously recorded forms, but getting the chance to revisit them and give them a new voice from a new perspective was an awesome experience.
Neil & I go back a long way, sharing many a stage over the years. His voice is exquisite and his songs masterful. My reverence for both his & Andy’s work made me a little nervous, but I think they came out really, really nice.
The 4 track E.P is now available as part of The Hudson Club, a monthly subscription model where you can currently get access to releases from the 26+ (& growing) artists on Hudson Records , including Neil. Well worth a punt in my opinion!
Tracklist:
1.Glencoe 2. London Road 3. Wonder in the Making 4. Atlantis
Photos: Em