americana @ temperance | Ray Cooper (Oysterband) "Even for a Shadow"

‘Even Like A Shadow’ is the fifth solo album from singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ray Cooper and comes twelve years after leaving Oysterband with whom he spent two decades recording and touring the world.This album has a road theme and features guest appearances from Kathryn Roberts, Ben Paley, Emma Härdelin, Sunniva Bondesson and many others.

Ray says: ‘A journey, and a long one, over forty solo tours in the last twelve years and a lot of time to think. I get many of my song ideas when I am driving; it is also the only time I listen to music.
These songs are my memories, imagined conversations and thoughts.
This album is like a car journey and the kind of radio I would like to hear, but rarely find’

Although Ray recorded most of the instruments himself, using piano, guitars, cello, bass, harmonica, harmonium, mandolin, percussion and kantele, he got support from John Eriksson (Peter Björn and John) on drums, Gustav Andersson on piano, Ben Paley on the fiddle, Anders Peev on the nyckelharpa and Hamburg church musicians on trumpets and trombones. He also recorded vocal duets with three different singers: Emma Härdelin (Garmarna, Triakel), Sunniva Bondesson (Baskery) and Kathryn Roberts (Equation, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman duo).

After the eight original compositions and three traditional songs newly arranged by Ray, the album ends with the well-known Jimmy Webb song “Adios”.

The album was recorded in Ray’s studio in Sweden. Additional overdubs were added in Devon, Hamburg and Berlin. Al Scott was at the mixing desk in Brighton.

In 2024, Ray Cooper will be touring in the UK in October and in Germany for two tours in May and September.

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