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The former 'belle' of Belle & Sebastian steps out for her solo debut as Isobel Campbell releases the stunning Amorino.

Amorino by Isobel Campbell

"The music often sounds like a delicate web being torn apart, but even in its most hushed moments it teems with intensity." – All Music Guide

One of the original, founder members of ace Glaswegian indie faves Belle & Sebastian, the multi-talented Isobel Campbell has released her solo debut, Amorino on US label Instinct Records.

The album is her first solo work after seven years as a core member of Belle & Sebastian - and after producing two outstanding albums with former side-project The Gentle Waves (an ad-hoc band made up of a collection of Belle & Sebastian members – and a vehicle for her prolific song writing). This new rich and diverse release builds upon her impressive body of work so far and Isobel’s growing reputation as a name in the realm of orchestral pop music.

Wistful, Serene

Written over the course of three years, Amorino was recorded by Dave Paterson and Geoff Allen, and mastered by Steve Rooke at London’s world famous Abbey Road Studios.

In the recording Campbell enlists the accompaniment of flutes, horns, glockenspiel and a myriad of other instruments, exhibiting the variety and scope of her numerous influences. From the orchestral twee pop of Love For Tomorrow, and the jazz-influenced The Breeze Whispered Your Name, to the ragtime of The Cat’s Pyjamas, her wistful and serene vocals remain the only constant throughout the wide spectrum of sounds present on the album.

According to Isobel, Amorino is inspired by "French girl singers, psychedelia, Jimmy Webb, Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and of course, the most universal of all themes – even in these cynical times...Love."

Weathershow

As an original member of the much-loved Belles, Campbell was integral to the band’s massive success before her departure in May of 2002. Both of her albums with The Gentle Waves, The Green Fields of Foreverland and Swansong for You, met critical acclaim as well. Campbell’s music has also appeared in film and television, and she has collaborated with renowned artists such as Teenage Fanclub and Bill Wells (of The Bill Wells Trio fame), with whom she released a jazz EP in 2002.

The full track list for Amorino shapes up like this:


1. Amorino
2. The Breeze Whispered Your Name
3. Monologue For An Old True Love
4. October's Sky
5. The Cat's Pyjamas
6. Why Does My Head Hurt So?
7. Johhny Come Home
8. Poor Butterfly
9. Love For Tomorrow
10. There Is No Greater Cold
11. This Land Flows With Milk
12. Song For Baby
13. Time Is Just The Same

No matter what the project, Campbell is guided in all her musical endeavours by one simple sentiment; "To have a dream that’s in your head suddenly become something that’s on tape, that’s the best thing."

Both Gentle Waves albums: The Green Fields of Foreverland and Swansong for You are still available - as is the entire Belle & Sebastian back catologue, including the just-release DVD compilation Fans Only from her former label, Jeepster. An Isobel Campbell single - available as a 12" and CD - the seven track Time Is Just The Same is also available.

For more information on everything to do with Isobel Campbell, visit her offical website: www.isobelcampbell.com

Amorino is out now, on vinyl and CD, from Instinct Records.

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