Letters I Haven't Written
| Letters I Haven't Written | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 October 2018 (UK) | |||
| Studio | Rockfield Studios, Monmouth | |||
| Genre | Singer-songwriter | |||
| Length | 52 minutes[1] | |||
| Label | Monkeywood (MONKEYWOOD-03) | |||
| Producer | Gwyneth Herbert | |||
| Gwyneth Herbert chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Letters I Haven't Written | ||||
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Letters I Haven't Written, the seventh album by British singer-songwriter Gwyneth Herbert,[2] was released on 12 October 2018.[3] It was produced at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth and, like Herbert's previous album The Sea Cabinet, was crowdfunded.[4] The songs on the album, all written by Herbert, have been described as "exquisitely crafted".[5] On the subjects of "love, gratitude and protest",[6] they are about the lost art of letterwriting.[2][7] Reviewing the album for Jazzwise magazine, Peter Quinn said that "Letters I Haven't Written is by turns moving, thrilling and entrancing".[7]
Music from the album was previewed in a touring show which Herbert and her band performed at UK venues in 2017.[8]
Production
The album cover features artwork by Julia Andrews-Clifford and a photograph of Herbert by Ian Wallman.
Track listing
| No | Title | Lyrics and music | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fishing for Squirrels" | Gwyneth Herbert | 4:06 | |
| 2 | "More of Everything" | Gwyneth Herbert | 4:48 | |
| 3 | "Reading My Breath Away" | Gwyneth Herbert/ Krystle Warren | 5:22 | |
| 4 | "From Here to Over There" | Gwyneth Herbert | 3:48 | |
| 5 | "Frosting on Your Windows" | Gwyneth Herbert | 4:50 | |
| 6 | "You're Welcome" | Gwyneth Herbert | 5:26 | |
| 7 | "Until the Dust Settles" | Gwyneth Herbert | 5:52 | |
| 8 | "Tick Tock TICK" | Gwyneth Herbert | 4:47 | |
| 9 | "Don't Call Me That | Gwyneth Herbert | 3:43 | |
| 10 | "And You Are..." | Gwyneth Herbert | 5:52 | |
| 11 | "Not the Kind of Girl" | Gwyneth Herbert | 4:47 | Total length = 52 minutes[1] |
Songs
"Not the Kind of Girl", which previously Herbert had performed with her touring band,[8] is a song about being obsessed with self-image.[9] Herbert wrote it for a screening, in 2010, at BFI Southbank's Birds Eye View Film Festival in London, of the 1928 silent comedy classic film The Patsy, co-produced by and starring Marion Davies.[10] British jazz singer Ian Shaw covered the song on his 2017 album Shine Sister Shine.[11]
"You're Welcome" was inspired by the journey of the Windrush generation, the early migrants from the Caribbean who settled in the UK. It was released as a single in September 2018.[12]
Personnel
- Gwyneth Herbert – vocals, backing vocals, piano, ukulele, French horn, glockenspiel
- Sam Burgess – electric and acoustic bass, backing vocals
- Al Cherry – guitars, backing vocals
- Corrie Dick – percussion, drums, backing vocals
- Ned Cartwright – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
- Krystle Warren – vocals on "Fishing for Squirrels" and "From Here to Over There"
- Alice Zawadzki – strings
References
- ^ a b "Letters I Haven't Written". Apple Music. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ a b Lake, Camilla (3 October 2018). "Communication of a meaningful message in song with album from Gwyneth Herbert". Hastings & St Leonards Observer. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ Herbert, Gwyneth (10 October 2018). "Why one musician is turning private letters into song". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- ^ "Gwyneth Herbert – Letters I Haven't Written". Indiegogo. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ Quinn, Peter (26 December 2018). "Albums of the Year 2018". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
- ^ Fordham, John (12 October 2018). "What to see this week in the UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ^ a b Quinn, Peter (20 September 2018). "Gwyneth Herbert – Secret Stories". Jazzwise. No. 234. London. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ a b Gibson, Colin (27 October 2017). "Letters I Haven't Written, Gwyneth Herbert at The Kino Teatr Nov 29th". Hastings Independent Press. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Spevak, Jeff (29 June 2018). "Jazz Fest Day 7: Gwyneth Herbert and 'Jazz Goes to the Movies'". WXXI News. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ Shipton, Alyn (12 March 2010). "Review: The Patsy/ Gwyneth Herbert". London Jazz News. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ Fordham, John (23 November 2017). "Ian Shaw: Shine Sister Shine review – beautiful homage to female vocal stars". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ "You're Welcome – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 31 March 2020.