TRACK: Kathryn Williams & Carol Ann Duffy – ‘Snow Angel’: collaborative Christmas sweetness


Kathryn Williams, left, and Carol Ann Duffy. photographed by Nic Chapman and Jemimah Kuhfeld

THE MERCURY-nominated Liverpudlian singer-songwriter who’s dear to our hearts, Kathryn Williams, has teamed up with poet and playwright Carol Ann Duffy for a two-handed seasonal single, “Snow Angel”, out now on One Little Independent Records.

It’s got Kathryn’s breathy, light vocal touch, and focuses on that casting back to Christmases past that we all do at this time of year as the world holds its breath. Carol wrote the lyrics for Kathryn to apply her sweet musicality to, the pair ensconced at Scotland’s creative writing centre Moniack Mhor for the project.

It’s a Christmas tune that swoons and has the purity of the snow angel of the title; what you’d want, a respite from the dirt and bustle.

Kathryn says: “This project with Carol Ann Duffy is a dream come true. I am an absolute fan of her poetry and have been for a long time and to work with her words has been a joy. The collaboration was much more blurred with Carol Ann; she helped with the melody and I had lyric ideas, too.”

TS Eliot prizewinner and poetry professor Carol Ann adds: “The lyrics for ‘Snow Angel’ were written especially for Kathryn’s gorgeous voice and talent.

“Our hope is that the song can be sung by community choirs and by children. Indeed, we drew on our sense of childhood and community in the making of these songs and on innocence and hope.”

The pair were instrumentally bolstered by The Magic Numbers’ Michele Stodart, singer-songwriter Polly Paulusma and Scottish composer Astrid Williamson.

Follow Kathryn Williams on Facebook, at her website, on Instagram, on Spotify and on Twitter.

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