K A R I M A C L E O D
NEW RELEASES
WHEREVER YOUR HEART ROAMS
Kari Macleod
​"Wherever Your Heart Roams" is the second song Kari has released from her catalogue of new material. This a country-folk ballad is about learning how to navigate through the world following significant loss. The process of writing this song was different than anything else Kari has written in the past as she was working through the emotions in real time. The lyrics and melody morphed and changed over time as, like grief, the emotions attached came and went in waves and were bigger some day and smaller the next. Ultimately though, this is a love song. To people who we have lost, and people who are still finding their way.
The song features an accompanying waltz that Kari wrote on the fiddle and which features throughout the track. The melody is harmonized throughout by Tom Kimber's delicate mandolin playing and Memphis Gerald's bluesy guitar playing that create the haunting tones reflected in the lyrics and main melody. Bevan Morris completes the ensemble on the double bass.
This heart felt ballad showcases Kari's undeniable ability as lyricist, fiddle player and composer.
Written and composed by Kari Macleod. Produced by Bevan Morris. Mastered by Chris Waites at Grans House Studios.​
Kari Macleod’s long-awaited new single "You Don’t Know Me" comes nearly nine years to the day since the release of her debut solo self-penned album The Fugitive. Having developed a more raw and honest approach to her songwriting during this time, this new song tells the story of a journey towards reclaiming ones autonomy and power in their life, and how finding strength in remembering who you once were, and not who you are expected to be, can heal a broken spirit.
With soaring chorus’s that are the biggest test of Kari's vocal ability to date, this song also features Tom Kimber’s intricate bluegrass-infused mandolin playing, Memphis Geralds' rich and bluesy steel and electric guitar adornments and Bevan Morris tying the ensemble together on double bass. "You Don’t Know Me" combines elements of folk, roots and Americana influences, all of which contribute towards the evocative and ethereal qualities intended to deliver the empowering message in this new song.
Written and composed by Kari Macleod. Produced by Bevan Morris. Mastered by Chris Waites at Grans House Studios.
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YOU DON'T KNOW ME
Kari Macleod
ABOUT
Kari Macleod is steadily carving out her own place in the UK Folk Americana music scene as a captivating and original singer-songwriter, as well as a highly skilled fiddle and violin player across multiple genres. After an extended hiatus following the release and touring of her debut self-penned album "The Fugitive" in 2015 to focus on collaborating and writing with other artists, she is ready to venture back into the scene on her own again.
​Born and raised in the rural Highland town of Tain, nestled between the hills, forests and rugged shore lines of the north sea, Kari found a deep well of inspiration in the wild landscapes in which she grew up.
During Kari's hiatus from releasing music with her own band, she recorded and toured with Durham born folk singer-songwriter Jez Lowe and became a member of the band "The Mile Roses".
It is in part because of her broad range of influences that Kari has managed to distinguish and navigate her way through developing her own style in both her singing and writing. She names American singer-songwriter Patty Griffin as one of her biggest influences - along with Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch and Brandy Clark - but her upbringing playing and singing traditional Scottish music, is heard undeniably throughout all of her music.
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​With an ever-growing catalogue of new songs under her belt, she has returned with the backing of her band 'The Fugitives' to work on releasing some of this new material. The first of these "You Don't Know Me", and the second "Wherever Your Heart Roams" are both available to download and stream on all major platforms now.
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PREVIOUS RELEASES
THE FUGITIVE
Kari released her debut self-penned album The Fugitive in 2015. It includes the song "Arms of the Brave" - an evocative, uplifting tale full of hope, with themes echoing those of the Highland clearances and the long journey towards liberation through high Glens and rough terrains. Title track "The Fugitive" is a melancholy ballad in which the erosion of the cliffs and shore lines, reflects the retreating and defeatist nature of the "Fugitive". In the uptempo, jazz inspired "For All The Boys", Kari reflects on the sacrifices that many of the people from her home community and the wider North coast make, as they disappear for weeks and sometimes months, to work on the oil rigs in the North Sea. Her father, the inspiration for the song and also a musician, worked on these rigs for a time and would reminisce about the long weeks spent in the middle of the cold, dark ocean with just his guitar to pass the time in the off-duty nights, looking forward to returning home to family and the warmth of a local single malt.
Written and composed by Kari Macleod. Produced and mastered by Ian Stephenson at Simpson Street Studios.
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