Lisa Knapp
Lisa Knapp (born 1974 in Balham)[1] is an English folk singer, songwriter, fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist. Her singing voice has been described as "crystal clear" and reminiscent of Anne Briggs or Jeannie Robertson.[1] Two of her three albums have received five-starred reviews in the British national press.
Early life
[edit]Lisa Knapp was born in 1974 in Balham in South London[1] and raised in Tooting, also in South London.[2]
Albums
[edit]Her debut album, Wild and Undaunted, released in 2007, was Mojo 's Folk Album of the Year. It includes a cover version of Lal Waterson's song "Black Horse".[3]
Colin Irwin gave her 2013 album Hidden Seam, which included contributions by Martin Carthy and Kathryn Williams, five stars in a review for The Observer.[4] The lyrics of the album's opening track, "Shipping Song", derive from BBC Radio 4's Shipping Forecast.[5] Another song from the album, "Two Ravens", took the award for Best Original Song at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2014.[6]
Till April is Dead – A Garland Of May, Knapp's 2017 concept album about the month of May, "twists tradition... mixing in interviews about May Day rituals and samples of birdsong, buzzing flies and cuckoo clocks".[7] It received a five-starred review in The Guardian from Jude Rogers who described it as "overflowing with warmth, light and waywardness". "Knapp’s voice throughout", she said, "is a revelation, both pure and wild, springing free".[8] Writing in The Observer, Neil Spencer gave four stars to Till April is Dead – A Garland for May, which he described as completing "a trio of extraordinary albums".[9] Thomas Blake, for Folk Radio UK, said that the album "seeks to understand old songs and traditions in modern and often highly original ways. It is a real step forward from a genuinely groundbreaking artist".[10]
Personal life
[edit]Knapp is married to musician Gerry Diver, who co-produces her albums.[11]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]- Wild and Undaunted (2007), Ear to the Ground Music ETTGCD 001
- Hidden Seam (2013), Navigator Records NAVIGATOR 084
- Till April is Dead – A Garland Of May (2017), Ear to the Ground Music ETTGM 003CD
EPs
[edit]- Hunt the Hare – A Branch Of May (2012), Ear to the Ground Music
Other musical contributions
[edit]Knapp sang "The Blacksmith" and "Bonnie at Morn" on Gerry Diver's album, Diversions (2002)[11] and also performed on two of the tracks on David Rotheray's 2013 album Answer Ballads.[12] She also sang "A Promise That I Keep" for the theme song for Wolfblood series 1–3. She is also a member of the trio Hack-Poets Guild; their album Blackletter Garland was named one of the ten best folk albums of 2023 by Jude Rogers of The Guardian.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Bible. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Wilks, John (11 May 2017). "Lisa Knapp on "Till April is Dead", collaborating with guitar legends and the immortal importance of the shipping forecast". Grizzly Folk. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny (14 October 2013). "Premiere: Lisa Knapp's Black Horse Gets Spooky Video". Mojo. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Irwin, Colin (22 September 2013). "Lisa Knapp: Hidden Seam – review". The Observer. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Track of the Week: Lisa Knapp – Shipping Song". Navigator Records. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Irwin, Colin (20 February 2014). "Folk is growing up but it still has a lot to learn". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Rogers, Jude (18 June 2017). "Lisa Knapp review – folk delivered with lust and menace". The Observer. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Rogers, Jude (27 April 2017). "Lisa Knapp: 'Til April is Dead – a Garland of May review – dazzling folk wit". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Neil (30 April 2017). "Lisa Knapp: A Garland of May review – fearless folklore". The Observer. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Blake, Thomas (1 May 2017). "Lisa Knapp : Till April is Dead – A Garland for May". Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ a b Irwin, Colin. "Artist Biography: Lisa Knapp". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Zierke, Reinhard (19 May 2017). "David Rotheray: Answer Ballads". Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- ^ Rogers, Jude (27 December 2023). "The 10 best folk albums of 2023". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: Artists |
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- 1974 births
- Living people
- 21st-century English musicians
- English women singer-songwriters
- English singer-songwriters
- English folk musicians
- English multi-instrumentalists
- People from Balham
- 21st-century English women musicians
- 21st-century English women singers
- 21st-century English singers
- Musicians from the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Singers from the London Borough of Wandsworth
- People from Tooting