Catherine Howe - What A Beautiful Place

Like welcoming an old friend back home

Pop this disc on and ask people to guess who it is, what it is and when it was made. It sounds so familiar that you’ll probably get a round-up of the usual suspects from both sides of the Atlantic: a bit Sandy Denny, a touch of June Tabor, a hint of Nyro, Ian or Previn. But it is also very much itself, and Catherine Howe is one of the great unrecognised voices.

The tale behind this lost record is sad but redeeming: the original record company went bust, but life went on for all concerned (you can fill in the details yourself at www.catherinehowe.co.uk, which also gives you the singer’s side of the What A Beautiful Place story). Maddeningly, for those involved, it sounds like a success. Like music that you’ve been hearing all your life, it sounds of its time, yet oddly timeless.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

Numero | 012

Reviewed by Tim Holmes
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