Christopher Rees
Encyclopedia
Christopher Rees is a Welsh singer-songwriter now based in Cardiff
.
Christopher Rees is a solo artist, singer, song writer, multi instrumentalist, band leader, producer and record label director. He performs with a full band and in a solo capacity.
Kiss Me, Kill Me
Christopher Rees released the 'Kiss Me Kill Me' EP via FFvinyl in 2001. He receivied a Welsh Music Award nomination for ‘Best Male Solo Act’ two years running in 2002 and 2003. Rees made history by becoming the first act in over a decade to support former Velvet Underground legend John Cale
during a 2001 UK tour.
In 2003 Rees established the Red Eye Music label with fellow musician Dave Stapleton.
The Sweetest Ache
The debut album ‘The Sweetest Ache’ was released on Red Eye Music in October 2004. With a seven piece band that included cello, violin, double bass, piano, guitars and drums, the album received widespread critical acclaim for its musical ambition and dramatic intensity.
“It’s not easy to achieve noise metal god status accompanied by a cello but Christopher Rees makes an awesome, bloody fist of it. Pumped up and snarling but managing to wrench beautiful tunes out of the wreckage… This is seriously amazing stuff”. NME
“Moody and magnificent”. Time Out
“An emotionally charged, world class singer songwriter”. Janice Long
, BBC Radio 2
“Intense and absolutely mesmerizing”. Huw Stephens
, BBC Radio 1
“Sonically powerful and epic in proportion. A record so cinematic it should be marketed as a Bond film. One of 2004’s most ambitious and accomplished debuts”. Maverick
“A Mammoth piece of musical vision”. Big Issue
In Oct 2004 he also made another small piece of history by becoming the first musical act to perform at The Houses Of Parliament, Port Cullis House as part of Fergal Sharkey’s Live Music Forum.
The Sweetest Ache earned him the title of Best Male Solo Artist at The Welsh Music Awards 2004.
Alone On A Mountain Top
His second album Alone On A Mountain Top (The Ty Bach Twt Sessions) was released in June 2005.
Recorded entirely alone over six days in a tiny 200 year old cottage on the top of a mountain in Mid Wales
, Alone On A Mountain Top is the polar opposite to the orchestral polish and drama of The Sweetest Ache. Drawing from the rustic traditions of Americana
, country
, delta blues
, gospel
and rock'n'roll, it became an unexpected success in the UK with major support from MOJO
, UNCUT
and Janice Long
on BBC Radio 2
as well as opening the doors to international touring. The album garnered international distribution throughout Canada
, Benelux
and New Zealand
where Rees toured solo with such American acts Willard Grant Conspiracy
, William Elliott Whitmore
, The Deadstring Brothers
, Mark Eitzel
, Kelly Joe Phelps
, and Freakwater
.
“Deliciously raw and spellbinding…A wonderful homespun triumph”. MOJO
, Editor-in-Chief, Phil Alexander
“A compelling set of vocal theatrics and spectral blues communion”.UNCUT
“Unflinching and venomous… a truly incredible talent”. Big Issue
“Raw, hypnotic and at times dangerous, Rees sings as if his life depends on it”. Ottawa Express, CANADA
“Breathtaking and spiritually uplifting”. Toronto Sun
, CANADA
Cautionary Tales
The third album by Christopher Rees ‘Cautionary Tales’ was released on September 3rd 2007. Described by MOJO
Editor in Chief Phil Alexander as, “Full of simmering soul”, and “A genuinely roots affair…that deserves to be admired”, (Fred Dellar – MOJO
)
It features collaborations with a host of world class female vocalists including a duet with much loved American singer Victoria Williams
as well as other special guests like Becky Newman (The Hot Puppies) and French singer Charline Rose (Calexico
, Giant Sand
).
Cautionary Tales showcased several sides of his impassioned song writing, covering everything from soulful country
and folk
to raucous delta blues
/ rock
and heart rending ballads while balancing raw and rustic acoustics with sophisticated strings.
The album garnered widespread critical acclaim throughout the UK, and across Europe, major radio play on BBC Radio 2
(Janice Long
, Steve Lamacq
, Bob Harris
). The single Bottom Dollar (Featuring Victoria Williams) reached Number 2 in the MOJO
Playlist in October 2007 (Issue 167).
Wider touring activities followed including high profile appearances at The Green Man Festival, End Of The Road Festival
and supports slots with Richard Hawley
and Texas
Country legend Billy Joe Shaver
.
Rees also showcased at international music festivals like North By North East in Toronto
, Canada 2007 & 2008 as well as the World renowned South By South West Music Festival in Austin
, Texas
in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Devil's Bridge
Christopher Rees released his fourth album 'Devil's Bridge' on May 11th 2009 to great critical acclaim. He was invited to tour nation wide with Kristin Hersh
(Throwing Muses), The Handsome Family
, Chuck Prophet
, Steve Earle
, Cherryholmes and The Sadies
.
“Boasting a delicious 50's twang...an increasingly accomplished songwriter in full flight”.(Phil Alexander, Editor-in-chief. MOJO
)
“Christopher Rees has honed his narrative chops to fine effect. All splash echo and rockabilly riffs...he makes room for fat dollops of bluegrass, country and rustic folk, including a stomping banjo straight from the Blue Ridge Mountains”. UNCUT
****
“By far his best to date”. Q Magazine
Informed by Rees’ love of Americana
, in all its diverse and dynamic glory Devil's Bridge embraced a range of styles from rock’n’roll to bluegrass
, gospel
, blues
, country
, rockabilly
and Appalachian folk murder ballads
. The 12 piece choral sections to songs like ‘All Our Beds Are Made’ and ‘World’s Fall Apart Everyday’ also display something quintessentially Welsh.
Titled Devil’s Bridge because the album was predominantly recorded in a mountain retreat near the village of the same name in Ceredigion
, Mid Wales
and because of its connotations to the subject matter.
“A spit and sawdust holler that's as close to a Southern hell-fire preacher as you can get hailing from Cardiff. Replete with machine gun snare fills and razor sharp guitar lines...rattles out of the traps like it was cut at Sun Studios in 1956. Very, very good”. MOJO
(Live review from The Great Escape Festival
)
“One helluva singer. A volumous force of nature. This is Rees at his peak, fully fried and giving it every ounce of grit and passion”. Maverick
“His home is in the Welsh hills but his heart is definitely in Tennessee
. He transcends the boundaries. A heart aching gem”. Artrocker Magazine
"Welshman Christopher Rees sings like Tim Buckley
remaking bluegrass
blues
". MOJO
- Green Man Festival
2010 - Live Review) November 2010
Heart On Fire
Christopher Rees released his 5th album'Heart On Fire' in May 2011. It is a fully developed album, partly recorded in Austin
, Texas
with The South Austin Horns (Alejandro Escovedo
, Burning Spear
). With songs that called out for an authentic American horn section Rees decamped to Austin
for 3 weeks to arrange the horn parts with Mark Wilson before joining forces with veteran trombonist Charles Dickey and Trumpet player Ricky White. The horn parts inject the songs with the dynamic punch and power Rees had envisioned. Additional piano and Hammond organ parts by Simon Rooney provided the finishing touches upon Rees' return to Wales
.
Heart On Fire was written and produced entirely by Rees.
Widely considered a change of direction for an artist often seen plucking a banjo
and stamping his feet on solo tours with Americana greats like Steve Earle
, Kristin Hersh
, The Sadies
, The Handsome Family
and Chuck Prophet
.
But some saw it as a natural progression for the passionate and soulful artist. MOJO
Editor, Phil Alexander previously described Rees' 2007 album Cautionary Tales, as “Full of simmering soul”. 'Heart On Fire' includes plenty of that trademark twang and tremolo to support Rees' emotional and distinctive voice. The scenery that surrounds the songs and the lyrical substance they contain is more immediately accessible and optimistic than people have come to expect from someone who's last album, Devil's Bridge mainly consisted of murder ballads
, Heart On Fire is still unmistakably a Christopher Rees record. The rockabilly
energy remains in songs like Warm By My Fire, while the title track and Raise The Battle Cry presents uplifting gospel. Other highlights include the radio friendly Sparks Flying and the explosive In The Middle Of The Night.
To promote 'Heart On Fire' Rees performed with his full band and horns at the Glastonbury Festival
, Croissant Neuf Festival, Sŵn
Festival and toured the UK solo on tours with American artists Eli Paperboy Reed & The True Loves' and Alejandro Escovedo
.
"I love this record...I think it's absolutely terrific". (Bob Harris
- BBC Radio 2
)
“An old school soul revue, heavy on stabbing brass and greasy hammond”. (MOJO
) ****
“Startlingly confident country soul”. (BBC.CO.UK
)
“Fine old-school country soul...The South Austin Horns provide shades of Muscle Shoals”. (UNCUT
)
“A soul-drenched album that smacks of the vintage Stax”. (Maverick)
“It's really good. There's a strong element of Memphis soul about it. I can picture Otis singing something like that”. (Ralph McLean
– BBC Radio Ulster
)
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Kiss Me, Kill Me
Christopher Rees released the 'Kiss Me Kill Me' EP via FFvinyl in 2001. He receivied a Welsh Music Award nomination for ‘Best Male Solo Act’ two years running in 2002 and 2003. Rees made history by becoming the first act in over a decade to support former Velvet Underground legend John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
during a 2001 UK tour.
In 2003 Rees established the Red Eye Music label with fellow musician Dave Stapleton.
The Sweetest Ache
The debut album ‘The Sweetest Ache’ was released on Red Eye Music in October 2004. With a seven piece band that included cello, violin, double bass, piano, guitars and drums, the album received widespread critical acclaim for its musical ambition and dramatic intensity.
“It’s not easy to achieve noise metal god status accompanied by a cello but Christopher Rees makes an awesome, bloody fist of it. Pumped up and snarling but managing to wrench beautiful tunes out of the wreckage… This is seriously amazing stuff”. NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
“Moody and magnificent”. Time Out
Time Out
Time Out is a publishing company based in London, England. The company's best known product is the Time Out weekly listings magazine.The Time Out Group Limited conducts most of its business from London and New York City.-Publications:...
“An emotionally charged, world class singer songwriter”. Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
, BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
“Intense and absolutely mesmerizing”. Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens is a radio presenter currently broadcasting shows on BBC Radio 1.-Early life and career:Stephens was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of the author and literary journalist Meic Stephens...
, BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
“Sonically powerful and epic in proportion. A record so cinematic it should be marketed as a Bond film. One of 2004’s most ambitious and accomplished debuts”. Maverick
“A Mammoth piece of musical vision”. Big Issue
In Oct 2004 he also made another small piece of history by becoming the first musical act to perform at The Houses Of Parliament, Port Cullis House as part of Fergal Sharkey’s Live Music Forum.
The Sweetest Ache earned him the title of Best Male Solo Artist at The Welsh Music Awards 2004.
Alone On A Mountain Top
His second album Alone On A Mountain Top (The Ty Bach Twt Sessions) was released in June 2005.
Recorded entirely alone over six days in a tiny 200 year old cottage on the top of a mountain in Mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
, Alone On A Mountain Top is the polar opposite to the orchestral polish and drama of The Sweetest Ache. Drawing from the rustic traditions of Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
, country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
, delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
, gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and rock'n'roll, it became an unexpected success in the UK with major support from MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
, UNCUT
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:* Without censorship* Uncut , a docudrama about censorship* Uncut , a popular monthly publication based in London* A non-circumcised penis, meaning that the foreskin is intact...
and Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
as well as opening the doors to international touring. The album garnered international distribution throughout Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
where Rees toured solo with such American acts Willard Grant Conspiracy
Willard Grant Conspiracy
Willard Grant Conspiracy is an alt-country band currently based near Palmdale, California, USA.Originally formed by Robert Fisher and Paul Austin in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, the band operates as a collective, with vocalist Fisher the only permanent member. Up to thirty other musicians...
, William Elliott Whitmore
William Elliott Whitmore
William Elliott Whitmore is an American blues singer and musician from Lee County, Iowa. He has recorded a number of albums released on Southern Records, and now is a member of the Anti Records family. His act consists mostly of playing the banjo or guitar while singing, though on occasion he...
, The Deadstring Brothers
The Deadstring Brothers
The Deadstring Brothers are an alt-country/rock band from Detroit, Michigan who play in a style somewhat reminiscent of the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street...
, Mark Eitzel
Mark Eitzel
Mark Eitzel is a musician, best known as a songwriter and lead singer of the San Francisco band American Music Club.-History:Eitzel spent his formative years in a military family living in Okinawa, Taiwan, Ohio and the United Kingdom. He moved to America in 1979.He started making music while he was...
, Kelly Joe Phelps
Kelly Joe Phelps
Kelly Joe Phelps is an American musician and songwriter. His music has been characterized as a mixture of delta blues and jazz.-Career:...
, and Freakwater
Freakwater
-Career:In 1989, Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Irwin founded the band, and they have been supported by several musicians since then, including members of Califone . Bassist David Wayne Gay, formerly of Stump The Host, is another long-time member of the band...
.
“Deliciously raw and spellbinding…A wonderful homespun triumph”. MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
, Editor-in-Chief, Phil Alexander
“A compelling set of vocal theatrics and spectral blues communion”.UNCUT
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:* Without censorship* Uncut , a docudrama about censorship* Uncut , a popular monthly publication based in London* A non-circumcised penis, meaning that the foreskin is intact...
“Unflinching and venomous… a truly incredible talent”. Big Issue
“Raw, hypnotic and at times dangerous, Rees sings as if his life depends on it”. Ottawa Express, CANADA
Cañada
The Spanish word cañada means glen; it is etymologically unrelated to Canada, which is derived from an Iroquois word meaning "village" or "settlement" and generally refers to the country in North America...
“Breathtaking and spiritually uplifting”. Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
, CANADA
Cañada
The Spanish word cañada means glen; it is etymologically unrelated to Canada, which is derived from an Iroquois word meaning "village" or "settlement" and generally refers to the country in North America...
Cautionary Tales
The third album by Christopher Rees ‘Cautionary Tales’ was released on September 3rd 2007. Described by MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
Editor in Chief Phil Alexander as, “Full of simmering soul”, and “A genuinely roots affair…that deserves to be admired”, (Fred Dellar – MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
)
It features collaborations with a host of world class female vocalists including a duet with much loved American singer Victoria Williams
Victoria Williams
Victoria Williams is an American singer-songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. She is noted for her descriptive songwriting talent, which she has used to immerse the listener of her songs into a...
as well as other special guests like Becky Newman (The Hot Puppies) and French singer Charline Rose (Calexico
Calexico
Calexico is a Tucson, Arizona-based Americana / Alternative country band. The band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Quarterstick Records, while their 2005 EP In the...
, Giant Sand
Giant Sand
Giant Sand is an American rock band, based in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The name is shortened from the original Giant Sandworms, a reference to the creatures in the Dune books. Overseen by singer-songwriter Howe Gelb, its membership has shifted over the years—at times with each album...
).
Cautionary Tales showcased several sides of his impassioned song writing, covering everything from soulful country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
to raucous delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
/ rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and heart rending ballads while balancing raw and rustic acoustics with sophisticated strings.
The album garnered widespread critical acclaim throughout the UK, and across Europe, major radio play on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
(Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
, Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
, Bob Harris
Bob Harris
Bob Harris may refer to:In sport:* Bob Harris , American baseball player* Robert Harris , Scottish footballerIn TV and radio:...
). The single Bottom Dollar (Featuring Victoria Williams) reached Number 2 in the MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
Playlist in October 2007 (Issue 167).
Wider touring activities followed including high profile appearances at The Green Man Festival, End Of The Road Festival
End Of The Road Festival
End of the Road Festival is an annual music festival in England which focuses on alternative music, mostly folk, alt.country and Americana. It is hosted at the Larmer Tree Gardens, on the border of north Dorset and Wiltshire, and usually takes place over the first or second full weekend in...
and supports slots with Richard Hawley
Richard Hawley
Richard Hawley is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer. After his first band Treebound Story broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longpigs in the 1990s. He later joined the band Pulp, led by his friend Jarvis Cocker...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Country legend Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver is a Texas country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.-Biography:...
.
Rees also showcased at international music festivals like North By North East in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada 2007 & 2008 as well as the World renowned South By South West Music Festival in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Devil's Bridge
Christopher Rees released his fourth album 'Devil's Bridge' on May 11th 2009 to great critical acclaim. He was invited to tour nation wide with Kristin Hersh
Kristin Hersh
Kristin Hersh is an American singer/songwriter who performs solo acoustic concerts; she also continues to perform as lead singer and guitarist for alternative rock group Throwing Muses and the hardcore punk-influenced power trio 50 Foot Wave...
(Throwing Muses), The Handsome Family
The Handsome Family
The Handsome Family is an alternative country band, formed in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The band was formed in 1993 by husband-and-wife duo Brett Sparks and Rennie Sparks and drummer Mike Werner, although the band would later revolve around Rennie, who writes the lyrics, and Brett, who writes...
, Chuck Prophet
Chuck Prophet
Chuck Prophet is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and recorded in the 1980s...
, Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, Cherryholmes and The Sadies
The Sadies
The Sadies are a Canadian indie rock and alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario.-Background:The band consists of Dallas Good , Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky...
.
“Boasting a delicious 50's twang...an increasingly accomplished songwriter in full flight”.(Phil Alexander, Editor-in-chief. MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
)
“Christopher Rees has honed his narrative chops to fine effect. All splash echo and rockabilly riffs...he makes room for fat dollops of bluegrass, country and rustic folk, including a stomping banjo straight from the Blue Ridge Mountains”. UNCUT
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:* Without censorship* Uncut , a docudrama about censorship* Uncut , a popular monthly publication based in London* A non-circumcised penis, meaning that the foreskin is intact...
****
“By far his best to date”. Q Magazine
Informed by Rees’ love of Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
, in all its diverse and dynamic glory Devil's Bridge embraced a range of styles from rock’n’roll to bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and Appalachian folk murder ballads
Murder Ballads
Murder Ballads is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1996 on Mute Records. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details of crimes of passion."Where the Wild Roses Grow," a duet featuring...
. The 12 piece choral sections to songs like ‘All Our Beds Are Made’ and ‘World’s Fall Apart Everyday’ also display something quintessentially Welsh.
Titled Devil’s Bridge because the album was predominantly recorded in a mountain retreat near the village of the same name in Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
and because of its connotations to the subject matter.
“A spit and sawdust holler that's as close to a Southern hell-fire preacher as you can get hailing from Cardiff. Replete with machine gun snare fills and razor sharp guitar lines...rattles out of the traps like it was cut at Sun Studios in 1956. Very, very good”. MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
(Live review from The Great Escape Festival
The Great Escape Festival
The Great Escape Festival is a major music festival that covers all genres of music and is held in the city of Brighton every year over 3 days in May. The dates for 2012 are May 10th to 12th. It kick starts the festival season, introducing 15,000 music lovers to the key artists and sounds of the...
)
“One helluva singer. A volumous force of nature. This is Rees at his peak, fully fried and giving it every ounce of grit and passion”. Maverick
“His home is in the Welsh hills but his heart is definitely in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. He transcends the boundaries. A heart aching gem”. Artrocker Magazine
Artrocker magazine
Artrocker magazine is an independent monthly publication, concentrating on music and modern culture, that is available across the United Kingdom. Though stocked in larger branches of newsagents, its main availability is in music stores. The magazine started life as a weekly email newsletter before...
"Welshman Christopher Rees sings like Tim Buckley
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving "voice as instrument," sound...
remaking bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
". MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
- Green Man Festival
Green Man Festival
The Green Man Festival is an independent music festival held annually in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. It has evolved from a one-day, 300 capacity event in 2003, to a three-day festival with live music including psych, folk, indie, dance and Americana across five stages, as well as DJs playing...
2010 - Live Review) November 2010
Heart On Fire
Christopher Rees released his 5th album'Heart On Fire' in May 2011. It is a fully developed album, partly recorded in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
with The South Austin Horns (Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:The son of Mexican immigrants to Texas, Escovedo is from a family that boasts several professional musicians, including brothers Coke Escovedo and Pete Escovedo, and Sheila E...
, Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
). With songs that called out for an authentic American horn section Rees decamped to Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
for 3 weeks to arrange the horn parts with Mark Wilson before joining forces with veteran trombonist Charles Dickey and Trumpet player Ricky White. The horn parts inject the songs with the dynamic punch and power Rees had envisioned. Additional piano and Hammond organ parts by Simon Rooney provided the finishing touches upon Rees' return to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Heart On Fire was written and produced entirely by Rees.
Widely considered a change of direction for an artist often seen plucking a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and stamping his feet on solo tours with Americana greats like Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, Kristin Hersh
Kristin Hersh
Kristin Hersh is an American singer/songwriter who performs solo acoustic concerts; she also continues to perform as lead singer and guitarist for alternative rock group Throwing Muses and the hardcore punk-influenced power trio 50 Foot Wave...
, The Sadies
The Sadies
The Sadies are a Canadian indie rock and alternative country band from Toronto, Ontario.-Background:The band consists of Dallas Good , Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky...
, The Handsome Family
The Handsome Family
The Handsome Family is an alternative country band, formed in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The band was formed in 1993 by husband-and-wife duo Brett Sparks and Rennie Sparks and drummer Mike Werner, although the band would later revolve around Rennie, who writes the lyrics, and Brett, who writes...
and Chuck Prophet
Chuck Prophet
Chuck Prophet is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and recorded in the 1980s...
.
But some saw it as a natural progression for the passionate and soulful artist. MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
Editor, Phil Alexander previously described Rees' 2007 album Cautionary Tales, as “Full of simmering soul”. 'Heart On Fire' includes plenty of that trademark twang and tremolo to support Rees' emotional and distinctive voice. The scenery that surrounds the songs and the lyrical substance they contain is more immediately accessible and optimistic than people have come to expect from someone who's last album, Devil's Bridge mainly consisted of murder ballads
Murder Ballads
Murder Ballads is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 1996 on Mute Records. As its title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details of crimes of passion."Where the Wild Roses Grow," a duet featuring...
, Heart On Fire is still unmistakably a Christopher Rees record. The rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
energy remains in songs like Warm By My Fire, while the title track and Raise The Battle Cry presents uplifting gospel. Other highlights include the radio friendly Sparks Flying and the explosive In The Middle Of The Night.
To promote 'Heart On Fire' Rees performed with his full band and horns at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, Croissant Neuf Festival, Sŵn
Swn
The Sŵn Festival is a music festival curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and Cardiff-based promoter John Rostron, which takes place annually in Stephens' hometown of Cardiff, Wales. The first Sŵn Festival took place on the 9–11 November 2007...
Festival and toured the UK solo on tours with American artists Eli Paperboy Reed & The True Loves' and Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:The son of Mexican immigrants to Texas, Escovedo is from a family that boasts several professional musicians, including brothers Coke Escovedo and Pete Escovedo, and Sheila E...
.
"I love this record...I think it's absolutely terrific". (Bob Harris
Bob Harris
Bob Harris may refer to:In sport:* Bob Harris , American baseball player* Robert Harris , Scottish footballerIn TV and radio:...
- BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
)
“An old school soul revue, heavy on stabbing brass and greasy hammond”. (MOJO
Mojo
Mojo is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is an amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag," or a spell...
) ****
“Startlingly confident country soul”. (BBC.CO.UK
Bbc.co.uk
BBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
)
“Fine old-school country soul...The South Austin Horns provide shades of Muscle Shoals”. (UNCUT
Uncut
Uncut may refer to:* Without censorship* Uncut , a docudrama about censorship* Uncut , a popular monthly publication based in London* A non-circumcised penis, meaning that the foreskin is intact...
)
“A soul-drenched album that smacks of the vintage Stax”. (Maverick)
“It's really good. There's a strong element of Memphis soul about it. I can picture Otis singing something like that”. (Ralph McLean
Ralph McLean
Ralph McLean is a Northern Irish TV presenter, radio DJ, arts commentator, radio producer and newspaper columnist.-Television:McLean presents entertainment TV shows such as The Blackstaff Sessions, First Stop, 11th Hour and Belfast Festival At Queens...
– BBC Radio Ulster
BBC Radio Ulster
BBC Radio Ulster is one of two Northern Irish BBC radio stations, the other being BBC Radio Foyle located in the city of Derry. BBC Radio Ulster is located at Broadcasting House in the Ormeau Avenue area of Belfast city centre...
)
Singles
- "Kiss Me Kill Me EP" (2001)
- "Bottom Dollar" (2007)
- "What Walks Outside My Window" (2009)
- "Sparks Flying" (2011)
Albums
- The Sweetest Ache (2004)
- Alone on a Mountain Top (The Tŷ Bach Twt Sessions) (2005)
- Cautionary Tales (2007)
- Devil's Bridge (2009)
- Heart on Fire (2011)
Awards
- 2004 - Best Male Solo Artist - Welsh Music Awards
- 2011 - MOJO Honours List - New Voice Award (Shortlist)