Shirley Collins has announced details of her first new album in over 35 years in the form of Lodestar. Above you can listen to ‘Cruel Lincoln’, the first track to be shared from the album.
Lodestar is made up of English, American and Cajun songs dating from the 16th Century to the 1950s, and all recorded at Shirley’s home in Lewes. Speaking of ‘Cruel Lincoln’, Shirley says: “This is an ancient ballad, found only rarely in England. The theory is that Cruel Lincoln was a mason who was not paid for the work he did for ‘the Lord of the Manor’ and so extracted a terrible revenge”.
The album will be released on November 4, with a limited edition vinyl edition in the works featuring song notes by Shirley Collins and sleeve notes by Stewart Lee, who has spoken of his love of her music multiple times in the past.
