Every Alasdair Roberts album displays a unique dimension, existing somewhere between the two complimentary poles of "pop" and "folk" while oscillating from superlative original songs to masterful interpretation of traditional songs from Scotland and beyond. The forthcoming Grief In The Kitchen and Mirth In The Hall, his fifth full-length collection of traditional songs, finds Alasdair returning to his roots, where this thing of music and song hasn’t come the eons it’s traveled to simply entertain - it also cuts deep to the bone.
"The Lichtbob's Lassie," a Scottish traditional with storied history spanning decades of performances and varying adaptions, was made famous by folkie Ella Ward. Here, Alasdair makes it his own by sitting at the keyboard for a rare performance away from his usual six-string. A declaration of a girl’s identity forever altered by her love of a soldier, this version of "The Lichtbob's Lassie" is served by Ali’s plaintive chord progressions, a solid bed for the melancholy tune and a gentle march of increasingly epic dimensions, evoking devotion beyond the constraints of time.
Alasdair Roberts voice is tenderly unwavering in an intimate performance at home to accompany the single release. Using an electric guitar, his performance captures the unsettled yearning of a young woman abandoning the comfort of feather beds and painted rooms for her undying love.
Watch the video for "The Lichtbob's Lassie" and stream the new single on the DSP of your choice! Grief In The Kitchen and Mirth In The Hall drops on March 31st.
TOUR DATES
3/3/23 Muziekclub 't Ey Sint-Niklaas Belgium
3/4/23 Sint Pieterskerk Langdorp Belgium
3/5/23 Muziekcentrum Dranouter Dranouter Belgium
3/23/23 Summerhall Edinburgh Scotland
3/24/23 The Tangled Parrot Carmarthen Wales
3/25/23 Bluestone Brewery Cilgwyn, Newport Wales
3/26/23 Wardrobe Theatre Bristol England
3/28/23– 3/29/23 Sutton House London England
3/31/23 South Street Arts Centre Reading England
4/1/23 The Blue Moon Cambridge England
4/4/23 The Hug and Pint Glasgow Scotland
4/5/23 Kitchen Garden Cafe Birmingham England
4/6/23 Hyde Tavern Winchester England
4/7/23 Florence Park Community Centre Oxford England
4/8/23 Medina Bookshop Cowes, Isle of Wight England