Nancy Elizabeth’s new album, Dancing, has emerged incrementally since the release of its predecessor, Wrought Iron, in 2009. Seeking to repair and retreat after an intense period of travel and personal flux, Nancy created a bower in her tiny Manchester flat, with a piano at the centre, guitars hung on the wall, and her unique palette of instruments within easy reach. Flat broke and stuck at home, and using a computer to help her make music for the first time, she began to develop a new sound in her isolation.

Slowly, surely, she nurtured these twelve handsome songs, playing and recording almost everything herself. Remarkably, the resulting album is her most cohesive and most uplifting yet.

“The great thing about music is that it doesn't cost anything to make,” Nancy explains, characteristically matter-of-fact. “Although I couldn’t afford to get out of town, I had free access to an infinite world of sound and ideas. I’d often try to wangle a ticket to some musical event or other, and come back with more inspiration to throw into the mix. Making the record amongst the nitty gritty of life was a joyful experience for me, and the music, lyrics and artwork of Dancing are a document of that”

It’s her lightness of touch as a musician, songwriter, producer and performer that sets Nancy apart. While the adventurous sounds she has conjured conspire to create a mesmeric physical effect, the emotional purity of the lyrics is just as powerful. Free of creative limitations, Nancy Elizabeth’s heart just pours out.

“To create a painting, you need a blank canvas to start on. To make a piece of music, you need some quiet. Being with people is never quiet, there’s always a “do you want a cup of tea” or “that’s a nice sweater” or some other noise, which metaphorically, splatters ink all over the canvas and prevents me from starting........
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