Jazz Singer-Songwriter Lorna Reid Announces New Album With Tender Single ‘Sweet Baby Blues’

by Skope • December 4, 2024

Acclaimed jazz singer-songwriter Lorna Reid is announcing her new album I Will Tell Your Story with its moving lead single Sweet Baby Blues which is releasing 23/11/24.

While Reid has made a name for herself with her swinging full jazz band stylings, Sweet Baby Blues sees the artist take a more intimate approach. The stripped back track pairs tender pianos keys with Lorna’s powerful vocals, and features a beautiful sax solo. Sweet Baby Blues is set at 2am – the witching hour for reflections and longing. Co-written with Darden Smith, Sweet Baby Blues came to be in the wilds of Scotland on a writer’s retreat at Moniak Mhor.

“Darden and I clicked creatively when we wrote Sweet Baby Blues sitting outside on a warm summers evening in the Highlands of Scotland. There is something beautiful about the collective experience of writing.” says Lorna Reid. “I always love performing Sweet Baby Blues as it reconnects me with a bittersweet time in my life. Audiences always love the song, regardless of their musical tastes. It is raw and honest and feels fresh to me every time I sing it”.

I Will Tell Your Story is inspired by stories untold, filled with vivid imagery and evocative melodies. Blending jazz, blues and soul the songs move fluidly between intimate ballads and rhythm-driven tracks, reflecting the emotional highs and lows of the muse. The album presents a mix of beautiful classical jazz with acclaimed original songs. Influences range from the usual suspects of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, but I Will Tell Your Story has Reid pull from a wider pool of talent including the likes of Joni Mitchell, Quincy Jones, and even X-Ray Spex. The result is a jazz album truly like no other.

This will come as no surprise to any fans who know that Reid herself is an artist like no other. Never one to fit into a box, Lorna is always looking to expand her horizons. Whether through her Human Being Diet, work as a coach, or hosting foreign language students to learn more about the world and other cultures, Lorna takes influences from every corner of her life, making for truly rich and different music.

Her 2013 cross genre album Falling Like Dew earned her an invite to perform at the Rochester NY International Jazz Festival on the Made in the UK stage where she broke ground by breaking out of classical jazz norms while still paying tribute to its astonishing legacy.

I Will Tell Your Story was recorded entirely in Scotland and was made possible with the support of Creative Scotland. The single Sweet Baby Blues was recorded entirely at Castle Sounds Studio in Pencaitland. The rest of the album I Will Tell Your Story was recorded across Grans House and Chem19, with additional recordings also taking place in Castle Sounds Studio.

I Will Tell Your Story was mixed by Jon Kelly and mastered by Nick Watson at Fluid Mastering. The album was produced by Boo Hewerdine, Louise Clare Marshall (Jools Holland’s band, Rod Stewart’s band), Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggrens, and award-winning Scottish musicians Euan Stevenson (piano), Konrad Wisniewski (sax).

Sweet Baby Blues will be available across all platforms Nov 23rd, and the album I Will Tell Your Story available March of 2025.

Live Shows

Linlithgow Jazz Club – March 1st

Ayr Jazz Club – March 7th

Northwest Castle Jazz Weekend – October 10-12th

The album features an all-star lineup:

Louise Clare Marshall, backing vocal arrangements (Jools Holland’s band and currently on tour with Dave Gilmour)

Euan Stevenson (piano/composer)

Konrad Wiszniewski (sax)

Neil Warden (guitars/Weissenborn)

Angus Lyon of Blazin’ Fiddles (accordion, piano, organ)

Jim Drummond (drums/percussion)