Homecoming gig for Cambridge singer-songwriter Odette Michell

Cambridge-based singer-songwriter Odette Michell has been tipped as ‘one to watch’ since releasing her debut album, The Wildest Rose, back in 2019.

Now, six years on, comes the artist’s second studio album, The Queen of the Lowlands.

Set to be released on 13 June, it consists of 10 self-penned tracks weaving together personal and historical story songs, songs of the sea, and extraordinary people.

Odette – hailed as “one of the brightest new names to have emerged full-grown on the country’s folk scene in recent years” by Folk Radio UK – says: “My approach to songwriting is to try to be as authentic as possible, while keeping a foothold in the folk tradition.

“It’s a balancing act but every song is personal to me at some level.”

Yorkshire-born with Irish heritage, Odette mixes clear vocals with deft bouzouki and guitar-playing in an album produced by Megson’s Stu Hanna.

Hanna also plays mandolin, fiddle, bass and percussion on the record, which boasts an impressive line-up of guest musicians – notably top-flight fiddlers Phil Beer (Show of Hands) and Chris Leslie (Fairport Convention, The Albion Band).

The new album’s title track brings to life the story of the Dutch passenger steamship SS Koningen der Nederlanden (Queen of the Lowlands), named after Queen Wilhelmina.

Converted into a troop ship in World War I, she transported American Expeditionary Forces to France and later repatriated more than 10,000 troops to US ports.

Says Odette: “I first saw a painting of the ship hanging on a Hertfordshire pub wall and was captivated by this true but little-known story of the ‘hero ship’ recommissioned to repatriate war-weary troops back to their home shores.

“I wanted to write a song that highlights the huge part she played.”

Raised in a musical household, Odette first picked up the guitar at 15 and, inspired by the resurgence of folk and acoustic songwriters at the time, began writing her own songs.

Growing up in Cambridge, she was perfectly placed for two early Club Stage appearances at the Cambridge Folk Festival – her first when she was just 22.

Her debut album was hailed as “one of the stand-out albums of 2019” by fRoots magazine and she also won the Female Artist of the Year title at the 2020 FATEA Magazine Awards, as well as being nominated for Folking.com’s Rising Star Award.

In January 2021, Odette performed at Celtic Connections on the Danny Kyle Open Stage – a coveted platform for emerging artists.

The Queen of the Lowlands London album launch will be at Heath Street Baptist Church, Hampstead, today (Wednesday, 11 June) at 8pm.

Odette will be joined by Phil Beer on fiddle and Stu Hanna on mandolin and backing vocals.

Then on Friday (13 June) – the new album’s release date – the singer will be returning to Cambridge, to the Cambridge Folk Club, to perform as part of Michell, Pfeiffer & Kulesh, a close-harmony folk trio comprising Odette, Karen Pfeiffer, and Daria Kulesh.

Tickets, priced £16 (door), £15 (advance), and £14 (members), are available from cambridgefolkclub.co.uk. For more on Odette Michell, go to odettemichell.com.