Another one of those moments where I have to pinch myself

When writing songs for Findings I found myself thinking of some of the mothers in the folk world that I look up to as role models, people like Kathryn Roberts and Nancy Kerr - women who not only sing, write and perform amazing music but who do so in partnership with their husbands and all while juggling the demands of parenting young children.

Being a good mum and good wife is a difficult thing to balance with such a demanding, exposed and emotionally charged calling. Actually, they can be difficult things to get right even without the complicated blend of joy and stress that being a musician adds to my life!

There have been days where it's by seeing other people surviving these challenges that I've been able to keep going. There were two albums that drew me into the world of folk music: the eponymous "Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts" CD and the EFDSS "Cecil Sharp Project" album.

... and so it was that early this year I found myself sitting at the harp and writing a song called "True are the Mothers", a song about folk tradition and motherhood and parenting and strong roots... I wrote it as a song that needed three distinct sets of female lead vocals... and on the 13th of January I wrote and sent two emails and held my breath...

This week I announced the track listing for Finding, it includes this line:

"Track 7: True Are The Mothers (featuring Nancy Kerr and Kathryn Roberts)".

... I still can't quite believe it!!

You can pre-order the new album here: http://www.angehardy.com/shop/details/findings

Ange x