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About
Gifted Welsh singer-songwriter Louise Latham's evocative debut album Reclaimed was released on the 25th of June 2012 to critical acclaim.
It's hard to believe that only twelve months ago Louise had contemplated giving up on her musical career until she met her present Dutch manager Maarten Sol. Having seen Louise perform at a venue in Holland, Maarten advised Louise that under no circumstances should she give up and together they created a fresh, new and successful collaboration.
Since the album's release, Louise's career is gaining substantial momentum in the UK and overseas. Reclaimed is enjoying significant airplay throughout the UK and North America. Erase Me, the first single, has been on several playlists including BBC Radio Wales, Manx Radio, Bro Radio and numerous community stations throughout the UK. In terms of film soundtracks, Old Soul has been signed to a British independent film company.
Reclaimed then moved on to become Album of the Month on Haze FM, Canada's largest online radio station. Later in the year Reclaimed was voted Top 50 Albums of 2012 by British music press agency New Sound Wales. Commenting on Louise's success BBC Radio Wales presenter Alan Thompson referred to her as being "One of the best Welsh singer songwriters of our time".
Louise, an English Literature graduate from Royal Holloway University of London, took her first step into writing her own songs during her time at university. This resulted in Fatuma, a song championed by award winning songwriter Tommy Sands on his Northern Irish Radio show. The song laid the foundation for a lot of the themes that would inform her writing, personal storytelling, human politics, struggle, honesty, hope, dreams and innocence.
If Louise found an ally in Sands, she found sonic architects in Arno Guveau and Greg Haver, the producers behind Reclaimed. Guveau, who previously worked with Manfred Mann and former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston, with his empathic production and cinematic arrangements, manages to accentuate rather than overstate the dark romantic heart of Louise's writing. Haver, an award-winning producer who has worked with Melanie C and The Manic Street Preachers, is known for his diverse production skills and innovative arrangements which resulted in warm and lush arrangements on Reclaimed. "The record has a haunting, dramatic and magical atmosphere complementing the songs themselves beautifully." Louise says.
Reclaimed was finally masterminded by twice Grammy Nominee mixer Jeremy Wheatley. Wheatley has delivered numerous number 1 hits and works with an impressive array of artists including Emeli Sande, Taylor Swift and Duffy to name a few. The result is a sound that branches off in a myriad of wonderful directions such as the country-esque Melt Me Down Like Chocolate, the soaring alt-pop of Erase Me, the atmospherics and quiet majesty of Together Tonight to the minimalist outpouring of emotion of Reclaimed itself.
And then there's Louise's voice - pure, ethereal, intense, profoundly moving. When she talks about touchstones, she mentions the simplicity and economy of Tracy Chapman's compositions, the big quiet of Tori Amos's Boys For The Pele album, and the ambitious scope of Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstacy.
This is an aural landscape made visible by Reclaimed, an alluring collection whose warmth and humanity is a balm in austere times.
Quotes
'One of the best Welsh singer songwriters of our time' Alan Thompson, BBC Radio Wales
'A great singer songwriter. Really, really beautiful.' Mike Walsh, Head of Music, XFM
'A rare talent with a great voice' Carl Blackhurst, Eagle Radio
'Louise's virtuoso performances bring something very special to the Bedford every time' Tony Moore, music promoter
'Louise Latham writes soulful stories and tells them with a gentle yet powerful passion. Listen out' Tommy Sands, Singer songwriter and winner of the BBC 2 Folk Awards
'Impressive......a lovely acoustic quality to her voice' Frank Hannessy, BBC Radio Wales
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