Lisa Redford

Lisa Redford

Lisa Redford is a Norwich-based acoustic Americana singer-songwriter. Her music sits between folk, pop and country-influenced acoustic roots, and she is known for delicate melodies, heartfelt lyrics and a clear, powerful voice.

Style and influences

Redford’s writing is shaped by singer-songwriters including Neil Young, Neal Casal, Ryan Adams, Josh Rouse, Tift Merritt, Mindy Smith and Kathleen Edwards. Her songs are described as acoustic roots pop with an emphasis on melody and vocal delivery.

Recordings

She releases three acclaimed albums: Slipstream, Lost Again and Clouds with Silver. Slipstream is recorded in a very acoustic style and includes the piano ballad “Be Around”, which receives her first BBC Radio 2 airplay. Lost Again, produced by Gabriel Minnikin of The Guthries, adds fuller arrangements and increased instrumentation, and includes “Dragonfly” and a live version of Neal Casal’s “Fell on Hard Times”. The album also appears in a top 50 Americana albums list at Americana UK.

Lost Again – The Acoustic Sessions follows as a digital-only release, presenting the songs from Lost Again in their original acoustic form and adding the bonus track “Changing Times”. Clouds with Silver is co-produced with Brad Albetta, who works with Martha Wainwright and Teddy Thompson, and is released through iTunes, Amazon, Fish Records and Proper Distribution.

Broadcast and recognition

Redford receives airplay on Bob Harris’s BBC Radio 2 shows, including “Best of British”, where “Dragonfly” is played. She is also invited as special guest for a Bob Harris Presents Americana showcase at London’s Borderline. Her work is played on radio stations across Europe and the US, and Clouds with Silver earns strong reviews and becomes her most successful release to date. She is named Artist to Watch by Acoustic Café.

Live work and collaborations

She performs in venues across the UK, Europe, New York City and Vancouver, and opens for artists including Chuck Prophet, Kathryn Williams, Brian Kennedy, The Handsome Family, Devon Sproule, The Hot Club of Cowtown, The Deadstring Brothers, Eileen Rose, Rod Picott, Gina Villalobos, Corb Lund, Jeff Black, Eve Selis, Jess Klein, Kevin Welch, Johnathan Rice and Kate Campbell.

Her acoustic version of Nick Drake’s “Voice from the Mountain” appears on the digital edition of the benefit compilation Blue Skies, Daisy Days on Planting Seeds Records. She later moves to the United States after a publishing deal in New York City, continues to perform showcases and record new material, and gives a UK solo headline tour. A live album, Lisa Redford Live, is recorded at Norwich Arts Centre during that tour and combines songs from her studio albums with new material including “Music and the Mountains” and “Love won’t let me Go”.

Later releases

In Brooklyn, New York, she records the EP Reminders with Jeff Hill, who has worked with Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Neal Casal and Erin McKeown. Hill plays electric and double bass, keyboards, cello and backing vocals, while Didi Gutman, composer and arranger for Brazilian Girls, contributes keyboards. Redford says the release reflects a look back at her time in New York.

Critical response

Redford is described in reviews as a compelling live performer with warmth, emotional directness and control in her voice. BBC Radio 2 presenter Bob Harris, Dave Cash and Glenn Tilbrook all give notable praise, and Americana UK remarks on the warmth and welcoming quality of her music.