aaamusic | On 19, May 2013

Visionary singer Anne Marie Almedal lives in Norway with her husband and producer Nicholas Sillitoe, where she’s influenced by seminal British folk of the 1960s and 1970s. Her musical journey lures you to a serene icy panorama, but quickly you’re taken somewhere warm and inviting.

Her retrospective album Memory Lane is released in the UK on  3^rd June, 2013 on the +47 / Proper music label and was mixed by John Wood (Nick Drake’s engineer).  Featured guests include Danny Thompson (double bass), Kjetil Grande (electric guitar), Conrad Lambert (multi-instrumentalist), Katharine Blake (singer-songwriter) and a string section from Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. Memory Lane was recorded in Norway and at  State Of The Ark studios, London.

In John Martyn’s May You Never Anne Marie’s backing vocals and strings grow steadily accompanied by piano and this is followed by the moving and uplifting Two of a Kind. Charming Scars, with it’s wind chimes and thunder, is helped by its sparse production and the gentle, graceful violins on Away Away make it one of the best tracks on the album.

Memory Lane ‘s songs combine to create a very intimate and expressive collection. Anne Marie Almedal has a clear and confident voice. It’s easy to imagine her beautiful soft tones and raw emotion drifting across a snowy Scandinavian landscape.

★★★★★

Anthony Weightman