Shirley Collins Announces First Album In 38 Years

Shirley Collins Announces First Album In 38 Years

British folk revivalist Shirley Collins hasn’t released an album in 38 years, but today she announced that we can expect a brand new one in November. Lodestar comprises 10 tracks, and its debut single is “Cruel Lincoln.” Collins included the story behind the ancient ballad in a press release:

This is an ancient ballad, found only rarely in England. The theory is that Cruel Lincoln was a mason who was not paid for the work he did for ‘the Lord of the Manor’ and so extracted a terrible revenge.

Collins came to prominence in London’s growing folk scene in the 1950s, and accompanied Alan Lomax on his Southern road trip to record American folk songs and the blues in ’59. Collins is also the subject of a forthcoming documentary titled The Ballad Of Shirley Collins. Her last LP, For As Many As Will, came out in 1978, which means Collins is a welcome addition to the Bands Who Took 20 Or More Years Between Albums club. Listen to “Cruel Lincoln” below.

Lodestar is out 11/4 via Domino.

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