Milk Roulette is Charlie Dore’s 8th album and despite its non-sequitous title, follows births, marriages and deaths as its theme.
Her most personal album to date includes songs about IVF, Pheromones, her father’s game of Milk Roulette, a protest song about downloading and a piano piece written by Charlie’s mother, aged just 6 years old and discovered 80 years later.
Recorded at home on two expensive mics, but otherwise as cheaply as decently possible with her co-producer-writer-schoolfriend Julian Littman, the album also features three members of Charlie’s live band, The Hula Valley Orchestra; Dudley Phillips and Gareth Huw Davies on double bass and Jake Walker on viola and violin.
As ever, this is a home-grown project with Julian on guitar, mandolin, Dobro, piano and percussion (suitcase and housekeys). Charlie plays Indian harmonium, piano, ukulele and autoharp. Other ambient sounds that may be heard on a closer listen include a snoring dog (Ash, Julian’s late friend) and lapping water (a record-breakingly long drink of water from Woody, Charlie’s Irish Terrier during an otherwise perfectly good take.)
The album also includes a guest appearance by Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow on ‘Three A Penny’ an almost acappella protest about cheap downloading, narrated by the service providers. Charlie says, ‘I’m a huge fan of O’Hooley &Tidow. I love their songs and the way their voices blend and I was knocked out that they were up for joining us’.
Old friend Reg Meuross and new friend Jess Vincent were also hijacked on their way home from a gig and lent their voices to Best Man For The Job, while the man behind the album design, Tom Climpson was co-opted to make his first ever appearance on record, singing bass. Charlie says,’He’s very shy of microphones, but he sings like Bing.’
About Charlie: Although best known as one of the UK’s most respected songwriters, Charlie enjoys a multi-faceted career that includes acting in film,TV & radio, comedy-improvisation, writing for radio and composition for film and TV.
Her songs have won two Ascap awards, an Ivor Novello nomination, both the Overall Grand and the Folk Prize from the International Acoustic Music Awards and in 2012 Best Album Lyrics from the Indy Acoustic Project for her album Cheapskate Lullabyes.
She is one of a handful of UK writers to have success across many genres, defined by the range of artists to have covered her songs, including Tina Turner, George Harrison, Lisa Stansfield, Paul Carrack,Ricky Ross, Celine Dion and Jimmy Nail, notching up along the way a UK No 1, US No 4, No 11 for her own Pilot of the Airwaves and hits in Italy, Germany, France and Israel.
She considers herself a fairly late starter in terms of her own recordings, so intends to keep recording and touring until she drops.
www.charliedore.com
