Songs from the Novel 'Greatest Hits' explained

Songs from the Novel 'Greatest Hits'
Type:	Studio
Artist:	Kathryn Williams
Cover:	Songs_From_The_Novel_Greatest_Hits_cover.jpg
Released:	16 June 2017
Label:	One Little Indian
Producer:	Romeo Stodart
Prev Title:	Resonator
Prev Year:	2016

Songs from the Novel 'Greatest Hits' is the 14th studio album by British singer-songwriter, Kathryn Williams and a collaboration with the novelist Laura Barnett based on her second novel Greatest Hits.^[1]

The project was conceived from Barnett's interest in Williams' Hypoxia album centred on Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar' novel and her concept of her own novel having a soundtrack of the protagonist, Cass Wheeler's music.^[2] Williams wrote the music to the 16 sets of lyrics in the novel Barnett uses to illustrate the events in Cass' life that bookend each chapter ^[3] along with producer Romeo Stodart .

The album and book were released simultaneously with The Irish Times suggesting the album ran 'gamut of emotions and musical styles from pastoral playfulness to jagged edged brittleness' ^[4]

Track listing

1. "Common Ground"
2. "Architect"
3. "Living Free"
4. "I Wrote You a Love Song"
5. "Just Us Two"
6. "Road of Shadows" s
7. "Don't Step on the Cracks"
8. "She Wears a Dress"
9. "Lilies"
10. "Brightest Star"
11. "In This Garden"
12. "Queen of the Snow"
13. "Home"
14. "Edge of the World"
15. "Gethsemane"
16. "When Morning Comes"

Notes

• All songs written by Kathryn Williams and Laura Barnett
  • Except tracks 3 and 4 written by Kathryn Williams, Laura Barnett, and Romeo Stodart Track 6 written by Kathryn Williams, Laura Barnett, Michele Stodart, and Polly Paulusma
• Track 13 written by Kathryn Williams, Laura Barnett, and Michele Stodart

Personnel

• Kathryn Williams – vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, drum machine, bell, the twanger, toy piano
• Neill MacColl – e-bow, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, autoharp, marxophone
• Romeo Stodart – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, string machine, Hammond organ, marimba, backing vocals
• Michelle Stodart – bass guitar, percussion, bell, whistle, backing vocals
• CJ Jones – drums, congas, timpani
• Kate St John – oboe, saxophone, accordion, cor anglais
• Andy Bruce – piano, Hammond organ, wurlitzer
• Laura Barnett – backing vocals
• Recorded at Echo Zoo Studios, Eastbourne
• Produced by Romeo Stodart
• Engineered and mixed by Dave Lynch
• Additional engineering by Trevor Michael
• Horn arrangements on "I Wrote You a Love Song" by Romeo Stodart
• Horn arrangements on "She Wears a Dress" by Romeo Stodart and Kate St John

Notes and References

1. Web site: Greatest Hits Collaborative Project with Laura Barnett Kathryn Williams. www.girafficthemes.com. Giraffic Themes . kathrynwilliams.co.uk. 2017-06-14.
2. News: Greatest Hits: how a novel by Laura Barnett was brought to life by an accompanying soundtrack The National. 2017-06-22. en-US.
3. News: Book comes with its own soundtrack. Editor. Richard Brooks, Arts. 2017-06-22. en.
4. News: Kathryn Williams: Songs from the Novel 'Greatest Hits' – fruitful collaboration with author Laura Barnett. The Irish Times. 2017-06-22. en-US.