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Twenty albums will now be whittled down to 10


By Margaret Chrystall


ONE musician now based in the Highlands and another whose roots are here have been included in the 20-strong longlist for Scottish Album Of The Year announced in Edinburgh on Friday.

Edwyn Collins’ album Badbea – released in March – was recorded at his studio in Helmsdale.

It is his first release since moving both his home and studio with his wife Gill Maxwell to Helmsdale in 2014.

Edwyn’s last album before that was Understated in March 2013.

Edwyn Collins' album Badbea named on the SAY Award longlist.
Edwyn Collins' album Badbea named on the SAY Award longlist.

Building the new studio Clashnarrow Studios on the hills overlooking Helmsdale, from scratch, Edwyn completed work on Badbea with co- producer Sean Read (Dexys, The Rockingbirds) and long-term musical cohorts Carwyn Ellis (Colorama) and James Walbourne (The Pretenders / The Rails).

Also named on the longlist of contenders for the SAY award is Kathryn Joseph with her second album From When I Wake The Want Is which she released last year on the same day as playing Elgin’s Droughty Cobbler with the Neu Reekie team.

Born in Inverness, Kathryn also has connections with Golspie where her mum lives, but has lived for many years in Aberdeen and Glasgow – now her home.

On hearing the album was longlisted, Kathryn said:

From When I Wake The Want Is, released via Glasgow's Rock Action Records, is the follow up to Kathryn’s 2015 acclaimed SAY Award-winning debut Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I've Spilled. This album is a set that documents both life's traumas and their resolutions.

Produced by Marcus Mackay from Inverness, who also worked on her debut album, From When I Wake the Want Is and plays live with Kathryn, the latest album mixes new songs with material gathered over the past 10 years to create “an intimate and often devastating portrait of Joseph's world”.

Skye musicians have also been named in the final 20, piper Brìghde Chaimbeul’s The Reeling and dance-trad crossover line-up Niteworks.

The longlist will be whittled down to a shortlist of 10 albums next month, one of which will be chosen by music fans in a 72-hour online public vote and the others decided by The SAY Award judging panel.

The winning artist will pick up a £20,000 cash prize, provided by award partner Creative Scotland, with the nine runners up each being awarded £1,000.

Earlier this week, The SAY Award revealed that the nominators and judges lists feature a 50:50 gender split.

The 72-hour public vote opens on August 12, closes on August 14 and then the shortlist is announced on August 15 as part of a special BBC Radio Scotland show from 9pm.

The award ceremony itself at which the ultimate winner will be revealed, returns to Edinburgh to the Assembly Rooms on September 6.

The full longlist is:

1 Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert – Here Lies The Body

2 Aidan O’Rourke – 365: Vol 1

3 Andrew Wasylyk – The Paralian

4 Auntie Flo – Radio Highlife

5 Brìghde Chaimbeul – The Reeling

6 C Duncan – Health

7 Carla J. Easton – Impossible Stuff

8 CHVRCHES – Love Is Dead

9 Edwyn Collins – Badbea

10 Fatherson – Sum Of All Your Parts

11 Fergus McCreadie Trio – Turas

12 Free Love – Luxury Hits

13 Graham Costello’s Strata– Obelisk

14 Karine Polwart with Steven Polwart and Inge Thomson– Laws of Motion

15 Kathryn Joseph – From When I Wake The Want Is

16 Kinnaris Quintet – Free One

17 Mastersystem – Dance Music

18 Niteworks – Air Fàir an Là

19 Sean Shibe – softLOUD

20 The Twilight Sad – It Won/t Be Like This All The Time.

For more info: www.sayaward.com

Both Edwyn Collins and Kathryn Joseph are playing in Inverness in the next few months. Edwyn will be playing the Ironworks, Inverness, supported by Astrid, on Monday, September 2. And Kathryn Joseph will appear in From When I Wake – a collaboration with Glasgow art-house Cryptic – at Eden Court, Inverness, on Wednesday, August 21. For more info: www.edwyncollins.com www.kathrynjoseph.co.uk www.ironworksvenue.com www.eden-court.co.uk


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