John Howard - Across The Door Sill

Facts When John Howard's 1975 album Kid In A Big World was reissued to wide acclaim in 2003, it marked his return to writing and recording after twenty years of silence. Recorded over a twelve-month period, Across The Door Sill features many layered pianos and vocals. Whereas John Howard & The Night Mail (TR 317CD/LP, 2015) was a "band album", Door Sill is very much a solo work. With five brand new songs investigating the process of dreams and how one can imagine crossing previously unseen thresholds; embarking on new adventures and challenges, through differing timelines, the album was inspired by 13th century poet Rumi's quatrains. One can hear the influence of John's own songwriter heroes - Laura Nyro and Roy Harper in particular - with it's long-form, languidly organic compositions and eschewal of the usual verse/chorus/middle-eight song structure. "An album that will take a few listens, I think," says John.