Album Notes

With the vocal edge of Elvis Costello and a playful lyricism falling somewhere between Morrissey and Tom Waits, Michael Heath and his band have created an album of 12 blistering sunny, hooky melodies brimming with sardonic observation and intuitive insight. From start to finish the album maps the sinuous troughs and peaks of the human condition. It's an eclectic mix of folk, jazz, latin, soul and even afro-bop, held together by a rootsy, acoustic musicality that beckons you to listen on. Welcome to Songs of Love Life and Misery.

Michael Heath grew up in Brentwood, Essex hooked on the songs of Dylan, Tom Waits and Neil Young. Inspired by his musical heroes and at the same time frustrated with quiet small town life, Michael began writing his own songs. Aged 18 he packed his bags, left home and spent many years busking around the world before coming back to the UK.

It comes as no surprise that Songs of Love, Life and Misery feels like a journey. From the folky melancholia of Most Blessed of the Cursed to the exultant sparkle of Jive there's a sense of freshness and intensity. "I wanna see the day I was born and maybe the rest would make sense" starts Pissing in the Wind, a track that puts you in a beautiful soundscape on a dusty road somewhere between South Dakota and North London. Indeed throughout the album there's a sense of being somewhere familiar and yet utterly different.

In December 2002 Michael formed The Voltaires with seasoned double bass player Joe Whiteman (who also plays accordion and mandolin on the album), and Dom Goldberg on drums. From there everything seemed to fall into place and by spring 2003, all 12 tracks were written and arranged. Hearing the horror stories of failed signings and a music industry in crisis, The Voltaires decided to bypass the hunt for a suitable record label. With a budget of £2000 they recorded, packaged and established distribution channels for the CD themselves. And the results are here with you now. So listen to Songs of Love, Life and Misery, and see what happens when money doesn't get in the way of music.