Back to Our Roots: Lisa Hannigan Is One of the Innovative Artists Taking Folk Music into the 21st Century

Cheal, David, New Statesman (1996)

At some tantalisingly unspecified point later this year, Lisa Hannigan's first solo album, Sea Sew, will finally get a UK release--it came out months ago in Ireland, her home turf. Hannigan, a singer and songwriter best known for her vocals on Damien Rice's two albums 0 and 9, is a bright new voice in popular music. Sea Sew is full of memorable melodies and richly textured arrangements, while her singing ranges from pure girlish sweetness to something altogether darker. Her performances alongside Rice, both on record and live, won her a considerable fan base: her husky timbre became more than backing vocals, often taking the lead on Rice's controlled explosions of emotion.

They were a team from the early days of Rice's career, bumping into each other in a bar in Dublin, where Hannigan, who at school had ambitions to become an opera singer, was studying art history at Trinity College. She told …

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Publication information: Article title: Back to Our Roots: Lisa Hannigan Is One of the Innovative Artists Taking Folk Music into the 21st Century. Contributors: Cheal, David - Author. Magazine title: New Statesman (1996). Volume: 138. Issue: 4934 Publication date: February 2, 2009. Page number: 44. © Not available. COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale Group.

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