''I Dreamt I Was a Bird'', the third album of British singer-songwriter Lucy Ward, was released in the United Kingdom by Betty Beetroot Records on 2 October 2015. It consists of eight original compositions by Lucy Ward and one traditional ballad – "Lord Randall". The album's title is taken from the lyrics of one of its tracks, "Daniel and the Mermaid".

Reception

The album was critically acclaimed, receiving four-starred reviews in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', in ''Songwriting'' magazine and in ''Northern Sky'' magazine. It was awarded Album of the Year 2015 by ''Fatea'' magazine. Helen Gregory, reviewing the album for

Folk Radio UK Folk Radio UK, is an online Independent Music Journal covering a broad range of Folk music, Global music, Independent music, American Primitive Guitar, Drone Music and other alternative offerings. Established in 2004 by Alex Gallacher. the websi ...

, described it as "a sterling example of all that is good about contemporary folk music in Britain today". In a review for Artree, Phil Daniels described ''I Dreamt I Was a Bird'' as "musically compelling", surpassing both her previous albums.

Songs

"Lion", commissioned by

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

for the

14-18 NOW ''14-18'' (also known as ''Over There, 1914-18'') is a 1963 French documentary film about World War I, directed by Jean Aurel. It was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic a ...

project, is about Rifleman Robert Loveless Barker, executed, aged 21, for cowardice during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He is commemorated on the

Shot at Dawn Memorial The Shot at Dawn Memorial is a monument at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, in Staffordshire, UK. It commemorates the 306 British Army and Commonwealth soldiers executed after courts-martial for desertion and other capital offenc ...

at the

National Memorial Arboretum The National Memorial Arboretum is a British site of national remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire. Its objective is to honour the fallen, recognise service and sacrifice, and foster pride in the British Armed Forces and civilian ...

in Staffordshire.

Track listing

#"Summers That We Made" (Lucy Ward), 4.00 #"Ode to Whittaker Brown" (Lucy Ward), 4.52 #"Creatures and Demons" (Lucy Ward), 3.29 #"

Lord Randall "Lord Randall", or "Lord Randal", () is an Anglo- Scottish border ballad consisting of dialogue between a young Lord and his mother. Similar ballads can be found across Europe in many languages, including Danish, German, Magyar, Irish, Swed ...

" (

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

10;

Child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

12) (traditional, arranged by Lucy Ward), 4.32 #"Lion" (Lucy Ward), 4.10 #"Song for Lola" (lyrics: Lucy Ward; music: Lucy Ward and Stu Hanna), 4.39 #"Daniel and the Mermaid" (arranged by Lucy Ward), 3.45 #"Connie and Bud" (Lucy Ward), 4.54 #"Return to Earth" (Lucy Ward), 2.55

Personnel

* Lucy Ward – vocals, guitar, harmonium, concertina, percussion, banjo * Anna Esslemont – violin * Debbie Hanna – backing vocals * Stu Hanna – guitars, piano,

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

s, violin, backing vocals * Sam Pegg – bass guitar * Lukas Drinkwater – double bass * Stephen MacLachlan – drums *

Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band is a British brass band formed in 1881. The band is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The band is known across the world, and is regarded by many as the best and most consistent "p ...

(on "Lion")

Production

''I Dreamt I Was a Bird'' was produced by Stu Hanna from Megson, who also performs on the album, with his wife Debbie Hanna providing backing vocals. The album was engineered by Stu Hanna and Stephen MacLachlan. The photography and album art was by Elly Lucas.Album sleeve notes

References

External links

Lucy Ward: official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Dreamt I Was a Bird 2015 albums Lucy Ward (musician) albums