True Stories

In the last two years, Martin Simpson has been busier, more successful and more visible than ever before in his 37 year career, appearing on television, radio and at sell-out concerts up and down the country. His 2007 album, Prodigal Son was his most successful album ever, hugely outselling all his previous albums, and collecting two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (Best Album & Best Original Song for his composition "Never Any Good"). It also marked his emergence as a songwriter of exceptional quality and sensitivity. With True Stories he moves on apace, broadening the sound palette with an album ranging from solo guitar instrumentals to full band arrangements featuring some of the finest musicians anywhere - bass icon, Danny Thompson; Radiohead drummer, Philip Selway; pedal steel legend, B J Cole; Bellowhead's frontman, Jon Boden; accordion ace, Andy Cutting and many others. The success of Martin's deeply moving song to his father, "Never Any Good", on Prodigal Son has galvanised his song writing muse. True Stories is evenly split between traditional songs and tunes and Martin's original compositions. Advance word on True stories is that it is even better than Prodigal Son. It will be launched at the 2009 Cambridge Folk Festival in a headlining performance.