Oliver Wakeman has the honour of being one of the few musicians to have performed and recorded with some of Prog Rock’s most respected musicians.
Having been a member of both YES and The Strawbs, he has toured a large part of the planet and has appeared on over 60 albums throughout his career.
The last few years have seen him re-release a great number of albums from his back catalogue including 2019’s YES album “From A Page,” his musical collaborations with Clive Nolan and 2013’s award winning “Raven’s and Lullabies” album with Gordon Giltrap.
However, 2023 saw him return to the studio with a collection of talented musicians to record his new album “Anam Cara” which is due for release on May 10, 2024.
Stream the official trailer through the YouTube player below:
The album features a stellar collection of musician including Hayley Griffiths (Riverdance) – vocals, Troy Donocley (Nightwish) – whistles and pipes, Oliver Day (Fragile) – acoustic guitars, lute and mandolin, Scott Higham (ex-Pendragon) – drums and percussion, David Mark Pearce (Munroe’s Thunder) – electric guitar, Robert McClung (Telergy) – violin, Steve Amadeo (Aynsley Lister Band) – bass and Mick Allport – sax & clarinet all alongside Oliver’s trademark keyboard and piano skills.
Oliver’s love for making every album he writes different to the preceding one, continues with this release. A blend of Celtic Rock and Progressive tendencies, the album features beautiful ballads, Atmospheric Rock songs along with epic tracks featuring a multitude of musical styles weaving their way through stories beautifully delivered by Hayley’s haunting vocals.
The origins of the “Anam Cara” album begin prior to Oliver joining YES, however due to the pressures of touring and recording it was put on the back burner and the collection of song snippets and ideas were put aside for the right moment for Oliver to develop them and bring them to life. This started in 2023 with new music being written throughout the year with recording taking place in various studios in the UK and the US.
Mixed by Karl Groom (Threshold) and recorded in part by John Mitchell (It Bites/Frost) the album is packaged with Artwork by the world renowned artist Anne Sudworth.
Oliver quote:
“Anam Cara refers to the Celtic concept of a Soul Friend. This seemed to fit perfectly with the songs I have written for the album, all of which are short stories from the romantic “Miss You Now” to the prog rock spy story epic “Marble Arch”. Not only did the album allow my imagination to run riot, it was also a perfect excuse to be able to call upon some of the finest musicians around to help realise my vision for the album. They have all truly become ‘Soul Friends’“
Pre-Order the album here:
Cherry Red: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/oliver-wakeman-anam-cara-cd
Burning Shed: https://burningshed.com/store/oliverwakeman/oliver-wakeman_anam-cara_cd
Oliver Wakeman / Piano, Keyboards, Harmonium, Electric Guitars, Backing Vocals
With:
Hayley Griffiths / Vocals and Backing Vocals
Oliver Day / Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin, Lute, Lap Steel Guitar
David Mark Pearce / Electric Guitars, Backing Vocals
Troy Donockley / Whistles and Uilleann Pipes
Robert McClung / Violin
Mick Allport / Saxophone and Clarinet
Steve Amadeo / Bass Guitars
Scott Higham / Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
