Ward Thomas
Catherine and Lizzy
For many years people both within and outside of the music business have been asking: ‘Where are Britain’s home-grown country stars?’ Ward-Thomas may well be providing the answers. They are on the threshold of becoming one of the first genuine major British country acts. Over the past year or so Ward-Thomas have proved to be one of the most exciting and talented of the new crop of names to have appeared on the international country music scene.
20-year-old photogenic twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward-Thomas have the vocal power and versatility to make you forget their external beauty. Fresh, wholesome, honest and sincere, they both portray an easy-going, confident style that oozes a mixture of the untainted swagger of youth with the confidence and bravado of adulthood, and the soul of classic female icons well beyond their years.
Family harmony singing, especially sibling harmonies, has long been a staple of country music, and Catherine and Lizzy deliver an intricate and effective vocal package. Their harmonies dissolve into the musical bloodstream and their original, thoughtful and intuitive song lyrics aid the process. More to the point, both possess strong, powerful voices and a distinctive feel for modern country.
They made heir first recordings in Nashville in 2012. The songs had all been written by the sisters in collaboration with fellow Brits Matt Greaves and Ann Bailey. Their authenticity to form witnessed their voracious appetite for listening to, absorbing and regenerating American country music but with a British lilt.
They were born in St. Thomas Hospital, London, but grew up in the Hampshire countryside on a farm riding horses, and raising chickens, pot-bellied pigs and goats. “We’re proper rural country girls!” they exclaim in unison.
It was something of a musical family in which their mother sang to them and their father was a passionate music fan. They attended the local Convent School. It was an uneventful childhood apart from when their parents split-up and their father lived and worked in London.
Neither sister harboured any serious musical ambitions until they began sixth form. Catherine had toyed with the idea of being a designer or an artist, whilst Lizzy favoured being a vet until she realised just how much studying would be required. Previously they had both sung in school choirs, but encouraged by their music teachers, they began perfecting their harmonies and applying it to popular music, rather than the formalised classical music they’d been studying.
“We started doing duets together and it gradually grew and the more we sang together, the more we wanted to do it,” Lizzy says.
“We started harmonising,” adds Catherine, “even now we’ll listen to a song and we’ll automatically harmonise it together, we’re in the car and we’ll start harmonising instead of singing along.”
“Yeah, in the car, when we’re just listening to a song, I tend to do the high bits, Catherine tends to do the low bits,” chips in Lizzy.
“I think that it just kind of developed on from that,” explains Catherine, “and then people started saying: ‘Actually, you sound quite good.’ We love doing it and now I can’t see myself, and I can’t see you [Lizzy], doing anything else! We were like: ‘We don’t have a back-up, we’ve got this.’” “Yeah, I feel like we’re born to do it, I know, it sounds cheesy!” adds Lizzy.
It was in sixth form that they first started writing songs. Their singing teacher was Ann Bailey, who readily encouraged them to develop their own vocal styles, then they hooked up with Matt Greaves, a songwriting teacher. Working closely with this pair, Catherine and Lizzy were enthused and their natural talent, hard work ethic and determination so impressed their teachers, that both Ann and Matt became involved in their musical career. The four of them worked together on writing songs, recording rough demos and developing a sound and style that has proved to be unique and distinctive enough to make people in the business sit-up and take notice.
It was Footnotes, one of the first songs that they’d written that led them to Nashville. Their rough demo reached the ears of producer and session drummer Bobby Blazier. He was suitably impressed and via his Music City connections, he arranged for Catherine and Lizzy plus Ann Bailey to go to Nashville and meet up with various music people. One of these was Chris Rodriguez, a first call session guitarist, who’s been in Nashville for more than 30 years.
Things moved on fairly rapidly and Chris and Bobby arranged studio time and engaged such leading studio players as Dan Dugmore, Andy Leftwich, Matt Pierson and DeMarcco Johnson to work on some recordings. Over a period of time several of the twins’ songs were recorded, and the results were mighty impressive.
Their debut album FROM WHERE WE STAND is packed with great songs, fantastic arrangements, tasteful instrumentation, superb vocals and top-notch production. It leaves a lasting imprint in the ear and the soul by creating an unforgettable cast of characters sketched with poetic lyrics, sung with burning compassion, and containing irresistible, memorable melodies.
The sinewy drive of Push For The Stride opens with strident guitars, melodic piano and vibrant harmonies. This is an uplifting country-pop tune with a serious message about going after your dreams with a full throttle. Dan Dugmore’s swirling pedal steel supports the lilting melody of Footnotes, a contrast to a vocal ripe with the mellow longing of a broken heart. Again the harmonies are quite simply exquisite. Rodriguez’s playful, chiming guitar and Blazier’s propulsive drumming balance the twins’ ardent vocals on The Guest List, with the catchy chorus keeping the listener well and truly hooked in.
For the last two years the girls have been honing their songwriting chops, often co-writing with some of Nashville’s finest tunesmiths. Their songwriting strikes a perfect balance between sharp detail and universal resonance, confessional lyrics and singalong melodies, earnest spirituality and self-effacing humour. Consistently, Ward-Thomas present songs infused by their life experiences and full of invigorating freshness. There appears to be no direction they cannot pursue should they try. They bring us the kind of close harmonies that haven’t been heard since the Corrs and the Judds. Though they both sing harmony parts, each is capable also of taking exquisite and soulful lead on individual songs. One of their main strengths is their unpretentiousness. They also have a great affinity for a strong melody.
In 2014 in between putting the finishing touches to their debut album, Ward-Thomas have been out on the road, touring all across the UK and also working doing gigs and showcases around Nashville and other music venues in America’s deep south, where their uniquely ‘British-take on country music’ has been well-received.
In the spring of 2014 they made the BBC Radio 2 playlist with The Good And The Right. That coincided with the releases of their FOOTNOTES EP, which featured their first non-original song. They make Dougie MacLean’s Caledonia very much their own as they strike a stunning balance between vulnerability and self-assurance.
Terry Wogan interviewed the twins on his popular Radio 2 show and they were also featured in a special Radio 2 documentary on country music broadcast in March. That same month they appeared at the Country2Country Festival at London’s O2 Arena performing on the special pop-up stages. More recently they have been featured in the Sunday Times Culture supplement and have been confirmed to appear at the Maverick Festival in early July.
Ward-Thomas are one of the most refreshing acts to come along in some time and in FROM WHERE WE STAND they have put together a beguiling debut album that is sure to charm all who come across it. They are the kind of act whose future literally seems unlimited.
For many years people both within and outside of the music business have been asking: ‘Where are Britain’s home-grown country stars?’ Ward-Thomas may well be providing the answers. They are on the threshold of becoming one of the first genuine major British country acts. Over the past year or so Ward-Thomas have proved to be one of the most exciting and talented of the new crop of names to have appeared on the international country music scene.20-year-old photogenic twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward-Thomas have the vocal power and versatility to make you forget their external beauty. Fresh, wholesome, honest and sincere, they both portray an easy-going, confident style that oozes a mixture of the untainted swagger of youth with the confidence and bravado of adulthood, and the soul of classic female icons well beyond their years.
Family harmony singing, especially sibling harmonies, has long been a staple of country music, and Catherine and Lizzy deliver an intricate and effective vocal package. Their harmonies dissolve into the musical bloodstream and their original, thoughtful and intuitive song lyrics aid the process. More to the point, both possess strong, powerful voices and a distinctive feel for modern country.They made heir first recordings in Nashville in 2012. The songs had all been written by the sisters in collaboration with fellow Brits Matt Greaves and Ann Bailey. Their authenticity to form witnessed their voracious appetite for listening to, absorbing and regenerating American country music but with a British lilt.
They were born in St. Thomas Hospital, London, but grew up in the Hampshire countryside on a farm riding horses, and raising chickens, pot-bellied pigs and goats. “We’re proper rural country girls!” they exclaim in unison.
It was something of a musical family in which their mother sang to them and their father was a passionate music fan. They attended the local Convent School. It was an uneventful childhood apart from when their parents split-up and their father lived and worked in London.
Neither sister harboured any serious musical ambitions until they began sixth form. Catherine had toyed with the idea of being a designer or an artist, whilst Lizzy favoured being a vet until she realised just how much studying would be required. Previously they had both sung in school choirs, but encouraged by their music teachers, they began perfecting their harmonies and applying it to popular music, rather than the formalised classical music they’d been studying.
“We started doing duets together and it gradually grew and the more we sang together, the more we wanted to do it,” Lizzy says.
“We started harmonising,” adds Catherine, “even now we’ll listen to a song and we’ll automatically harmonise it together, we’re in the car and we’ll start harmonising instead of singing along.”
“Yeah, in the car, when we’re just listening to a song, I tend to do the high bits, Catherine tends to do the low bits,” chips in Lizzy.
“I think that it just kind of developed on from that,” explains Catherine, “and then people started saying: ‘Actually, you sound quite good.’ We love doing it and now I can’t see myself, and I can’t see you [Lizzy], doing anything else! We were like: ‘We don’t have a back-up, we’ve got this.’” “Yeah, I feel like we’re born to do it, I know, it sounds cheesy!” adds Lizzy.
It was in sixth form that they first started writing songs. Their singing teacher was Ann Bailey, who readily encouraged them to develop their own vocal styles, then they hooked up with Matt Greaves, a songwriting teacher. Working closely with this pair, Catherine and Lizzy were enthused and their natural talent, hard work ethic and determination so impressed their teachers, that both Ann and Matt became involved in their musical career. The four of them worked together on writing songs, recording rough demos and developing a sound and style that has proved to be unique and distinctive enough to make people in the business sit-up and take notice.
It was Footnotes, one of the first songs that they’d written that led them to Nashville. Their rough demo reached the ears of producer and session drummer Bobby Blazier. He was suitably impressed and via his Music City connections, he arranged for Catherine and Lizzy plus Ann Bailey to go to Nashville and meet up with various music people. One of these was Chris Rodriguez, a first call session guitarist, who’s been in Nashville for more than 30 years.Things moved on fairly rapidly and Chris and Bobby arranged studio time and engaged such leading studio players as Dan Dugmore, Andy Leftwich, Matt Pierson and DeMarcco Johnson to work on some recordings. Over a period of time several of the twins’ songs were recorded, and the results were mighty impressive.
Their debut album FROM WHERE WE STAND is packed with great songs, fantastic arrangements, tasteful instrumentation, superb vocals and top-notch production. It leaves a lasting imprint in the ear and the soul by creating an unforgettable cast of characters sketched with poetic lyrics, sung with burning compassion, and containing irresistible, memorable melodies.
The sinewy drive of Push For The Stride opens with strident guitars, melodic piano and vibrant harmonies. This is an uplifting country-pop tune with a serious message about going after your dreams with a full throttle. Dan Dugmore’s swirling pedal steel supports the lilting melody of Footnotes, a contrast to a vocal ripe with the mellow longing of a broken heart. Again the harmonies are quite simply exquisite. Rodriguez’s playful, chiming guitar and Blazier’s propulsive drumming balance the twins’ ardent vocals on The Guest List, with the catchy chorus keeping the listener well and truly hooked in.
For the last two years the girls have been honing their songwriting chops, often co-writing with some of Nashville’s finest tunesmiths. Their songwriting strikes a perfect balance between sharp detail and universal resonance, confessional lyrics and singalong melodies, earnest spirituality and self-effacing humour. Consistently, Ward-Thomas present songs infused by their life experiences and full of invigorating freshness. There appears to be no direction they cannot pursue should they try. They bring us the kind of close harmonies that haven’t been heard since the Corrs and the Judds. Though they both sing harmony parts, each is capable also of taking exquisite and soulful lead on individual songs. One of their main strengths is their unpretentiousness. They also have a great affinity for a strong melody.
In 2014 in between putting the finishing touches to their debut album, Ward-Thomas have been out on the road, touring all across the UK and also working doing gigs and showcases around Nashville and other music venues in America’s deep south, where their uniquely ‘British-take on country music’ has been well-received.
In the spring of 2014 they made the BBC Radio 2 playlist with The Good And The Right. That coincided with the releases of their FOOTNOTES EP, which featured their first non-original song. They make Dougie MacLean’s Caledonia very much their own as they strike a stunning balance between vulnerability and self-assurance.
Terry Wogan interviewed the twins on his popular Radio 2 show and they were also featured in a special Radio 2 documentary on country music broadcast in March. That same month they appeared at the Country2Country Festival at London’s O2 Arena performing on the special pop-up stages. More recently they have been featured in the Sunday Times Culture supplement and have been confirmed to appear at the Maverick Festival in early July.
Ward-Thomas are one of the most refreshing acts to come along in some time and in FROM WHERE WE STAND they have put together a beguiling debut album that is sure to charm all who come across it. They are the kind of act whose future literally seems unlimited.