My new album, The Answer, is OUT NOW! I’m so proud of this album!Thank you all for your continued support & patience! So many incredible people helped make this record happen! I’ll list you all later! Link in bio to purchase physical copy, or it’s also available on all platforms pic.twitter.com/7moJopJQRy

— Jodie Marie (@JodieMarieMusic) February 12, 2021

The Answer has already spawned two excellent singles: Carageen and This House, which was released last week. Carageen – a dulcet folk-pop ballad co-written with former Mercury Prize nominee Ed Harcourt – saw Marie channel the gently melodic acoustic feel you might associate with Norah Jones at the peak of her powers. This House moves in a different sonic direction altogether; channelling a sultry, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll feel that lies somewhere between Janis Joplin and Lenny Kravitz.

The new record was recorded at the former Carmel Welsh Baptist Chapel in Clarbeston, which Marie and her partner (and producer) Owain Fleetwood bought and converted into a studio in 2017. The singer told local paper the Tenby Observer that the atmosphere of the venue – and its links to the proud musical heritage associated with Welsh non-conformism – had inspired her songwriting. She said “A chapel is built for singing in. I’m not religious, but there’s something in the air here. Whatever it is, it makes you more reactive and inspired. It makes making music feel beautiful and worthwhile, as it should be.”

Jodie Marie’s career over the last decade has been punctuated by highs and lows. By the end of 2012, the singer had been snapped up by the iconic Decca Records; released an acclaimed debut album (Mountain Echo) under the tutelage of Suede guitar maestro Bernard Butler; and been hailed as “folk-pop sensation” in The Independent. However, within just a few years she had been dropped by her label and forced to go back to scratch in her native West Wales. One consistent feature of the twenty-nine year old’s ventures to date (in both good and more challenging times) has been the exceptional music. From the country-pop charm of 2011’s Single Blank Canvas, to masterful 2015 soul ballad If We Try and Tamla-tinged 2019 festive number (I Don’t Wanna Be) Alone This Christmas, Marie has proven herself to be a gifted vocalist, musician and songwriter.

The Pembrokeshire product returned to the stage last month with a livestreamed gig at The Queens Hall in Narberth. Speaking to the Pembroke & Pembroke Dock Observer ahead of the show, which formed part of the BBC Wales/Horizons nationwide ‘Tour of Wales‘ for Independent Venue Week 2021: Marie said: “It feels so special to be able to get back on that stage and perform.” The singer will perform another virtual gig at The Queens Hall next Friday (19th February).

Buy your tickets NOW for my pre recorded live stream from StudiOwz featuring my good friend @EdHarcourt – it’s THIS Thursday 10th December at 8pm!!https://t.co/8c2PqfiBuh@caru_music @CarmelRecords @WeTheDee @dicefm pic.twitter.com/s8DXs86cYD

— Jodie Marie (@JodieMarieMusic) December 8, 2020

The gig at StudioOwz (formerly the Carmel Welsh Baptist Chapel in Clarbeston) will include soulful renditions of four songs from Jodie Marie’s upcoming album The Answer, which is due for release on February 12th 2021. The Narberth songstress’ October single Carageen – named after a distinctive seaweed that grows in South West Wales – will feature among the new tracks on the setlist.

The dulcet ballad (co-written with Harcourt) fuses a sweet vocal not dissimilar to Marie’s compatriot Mary Hopkin and the kind of laid-back folsky-pop vibe you might associate with noughties’ Norah Jones. The haunting melody and its gentle acoustic (and later, electric) guitar accompaniment also evokes some of the understated, stirring power of James Dean Bradfield’s solo work.

Carageen‘s repeated powerful refrain – “The ocean’s waiting for your call” – is captured brilliantly in the video, which is set against the mysterious and beautiful backdrop of the West Wales seashore. On her website, Marie says: “…(the video) really shows why I spend so much time outdoors and on the coast, and why it inspires my music so much – whether for lyrical ideas or just to blow the cobwebs away.”

Last week Marie – who was once described by The Independent as “the shy singer who became a folk-pop sensation“- surprised fans with a Christmas single: (I Don’t Wanna Be) Alone This Christmas. The song is a lovely throwback to Motown and 1960s doo-wop, with a few neat lyrical homages to other festive favourites, including Mud’s Lonely This Christmas and Darlene Love’s All Alone On Christmas. Addressing her followers on Twitter, the Welsh singer-songwriter said: “We’ve all had a bit of a rough year and I thought, what better way to spread Christmas spirit than releasing a Christmas tune before the year ends.” The new tune is accompanied by a homemade video packed full of childhood yuletide nostalgia – watch below.

Meanwhile Ed Harcourt, who has previously worked with Paloma Faith and Marianne Faithful, has also been busy this year. In September the Wimbledon-born multi-instrumentalist released his tenth album, Monochrome To Colour. The LP was hailed by The Up Coming as “…positive and euphoric, striking and magnetic…both a meditative self-exploration and a radiant expression of wonder at the magnificence of the world.”

Harcourt has also been working with longtime collaborator Sophie Ellis-Bextor on a new prog-influenced LP. The Murder On The Dancefloor icon, who entertained fans in lockdown with her livestreamed Kitchen Disco sessions, has hinted that it might be some time yet before the record hits the shelves. Ellis-Bextor told the Official Charts website: “I’m really pleased with the way it’s taking shape. I also want to take my time with it because it’s cruicial I get it right. I want it to be really positive and I’m enjoying the process, so I’m not in any hurry.“