Settler by Malcolm MacWatt

Under the umbrella of Santa Cruz-based Need To Know Music, Scottish songwriter Malcolm MacWatt continues to highlight the Celtic voice in Americana music with his latest album Settler.

MacWatt weaves Scottish balladry with Appalachian string band influences to tell stories of loss, injustice and arduous journeys. With contributions from renowned Americana artists Gretchen Peters, Laura Cantrell and Jaimee Harris, as well as British folk icons Eliza Carthy and Kris Drever, the album acknowledges that music travels from place to place picking up new inflections and nuances wherever it puts down roots.

Settler builds on the success of last year’s Skail EP, conceived and recorded at his London home during the first Covid lockdown, with MacWatt exploring ties between Scotland and the New World. The EP was warmly received with superb reviews and extensive airplay on both sides of the Atlantic. The new album was also home recorded, mixed at L Sound London then mastered at True East in Nashville.

Hailing from Morayshire with the Highlands and North Sea as a constant backdrop, MacWatt was raised listening to the folklore and music of Scotland. His love for the outdoors saw him spending much of his life as a keen hillwalker, snowboarder and surfer; learning first hand that the Highlands are beautiful and uplifting but unforgivingly harsh if taken for granted. Like many other young men from the area he worked on the offshore oil rigs where the power of the North Sea was a constant reminder to remain humble in the face of nature. As such there’s sensitivity, compassion and humanity in his songwriting with a rugged simplicity and directness in how they are delivered.

“When people are uprooted sometimes all they can carry with them are their stories and experiences. Throughout history the Scots have settled all over the world, my family included. I’m a mixed-race Scot with a keen interest in ideas surrounding heritage and identity. Nations were built by people seeking a better life and it is easy to forget our own ancestors were all settlers and immigrants at one time.”

MacWatt plays all instruments on the album with Kris Drever providing electric guitar on one track.

Paying tribute to his stellar guests, MacWatt explains that every artist involved brought their unique personalities to the songs.
“For me, Eliza, Gretchen, Jaimee, Kris and Laura are a dream line-up and I feel truly honoured to have them contribute to Settler.”

"Masterful songwriting...perceptively written, superbly played and poetically produced" Americana UK

“Malcolm MacWatt has produced one of the finest new CDs of the year... a delight from beginning to end” Roger Williams, A World of Difference, Blues & Roots Radio

“The songwriting on this is just top table, top of the tree.” Tim Walker, BBC Radio Lincolnshire

“Absolutely loving your new album! Wow.. fantastic voice and music” Tony Corner, Blues Corner

“This cat has game. Like your records full of stories and dashes of poetry? This is your guy” Nathan Bell

“The new album is extraordinary” Lorna Simes, Global Heartbeat WSCA, NH

“In short: beautiful songs, beautiful arrangements and lyrics that stay with you. Excellent album” Moors Magazine NL

CD of the Month - Lucky Dice Music, NL

Album of the Week - Johan Derkson, Rijnmond, Musik voor Volwassener, NL

"They seem to have a good nose for music at the Need to Know Music label. Earlier this year the magnificent albums Red, White and American Blues by Nathan Bell and Tricks of the Trade (Deluxe Edition) by Malcolm Holcombe were released. Three times is a charm, because Settler by Malcolm MacWatt also turns out to be a bull's eye." Music That Needs Attention NL

“MacWatt will doubtless be considered among the best of the new breed of folksingers and songwriters, who speak of the past as a way to perhaps understand it and move forward” Stephen Rapid, Lonesome Highway

“He shines as a singer and he shines as an interpreter of the eternal folk songbook,” Tom Brosseau, The Great American Folk Show, North Dakota

malcolmmacwatt.com