“A great songwriting talent from Scotland” – Bob Harris, BBC

"Inspired...all the rainy loveliness of Belle and Sebastian" - UNCUT magazine

"A heady combination of guitar riffs and pop melody has seen Ally Kerr become the next big thing on the British music scene" - Time Out

“A sparkling tunesmith” – Metro

“Outstanding melodies and charm” – Rock Delux (Spain)

Viva Melodia is the third album from “beautifully melancholic” (Press Association) Scottish artist Ally Kerr, one of the country’s fastest-rising international singer songwriters. In the five years since his last album, the critically-acclaimed “Off The Radar”, Kerr has flourished, picking up fans and playing shows across Asia and Europe. Thanks to the global exposure of a song used as the theme tune to a major Japanese TV animation called Mushi-shi, an active and enthusiastic fan base, as well as a hands-on approach, word of Kerr’s musical talent continues to spread further and wider and should reach new heights with the release of this new album that was produced by Biff Smith of Scottish critics’ favourites The Starlets and engineered in Glasgow by Marcus Mackay, best known for his work with fellow Scots, Frightened Rabbit. The album was mastered in Florida by KRAMER at Noise Miami (Will Oldham, Daniel Johnston, Galaxie 500).

Cult Spanish label Elefant Records (Lambchop, Camera Obscura) spotted the potential very early on and released a 7inch vinyl single of the first songs Kerr had ever recorded, resulting in positive reviews and airplay around the world. These “Midst of the Storm” EP songs were produced by Duglas T.Stewart (of cult Scottish group BMX Bandits) and engineer Duncan Cameron(Teenage Fanclub / The Delgados / Travis) and subsequently appeared on Kerr’s debut album, “Calling Out To You”, produced by David Scott (The Pearlfishers).Recorded on a shoestring budget, its inclusion in a major Japanese music magazine’s list of the “Top 20 Albums Ever To Come Out Of Scotland” was testament to the melodic strength of the songs and the album sat alongside the seminal works of familiar names such as Orange Juice and Belle and Sebastian, to the intrigue of curious onlookers.

Kerr wasquickly invited to Japan and has returned several times to play live. His fan base continues to grow across Asia, notably in China where his first two albums have been licensed to one of China’s biggest entertainment groups for release next year. He was also invited to play in Shanghai and Beijing in May 2013 and will tour the country later in the year. Viva Melodia will be released by various partners across Asia and on Much Obliged Records throughout the rest of the world.

Second album “Off The Radar” (2008), produced by David Scott (The Pearlfishers) was noted as a step up to the debut, achieving critical acclaim and leading to international licensing deals and further invitations to play live across Europe and Asia. The singer/songwriter’s international profile continued its upward trajectory after he was selected to play at the North by North-East music festival in Canada. Kerr rounded off the year with a headlining tour of Asia covering Singapore, Japan, Philippines and Taiwan before taking time out to write and demo for the next album, an album he believes is his best, most ambitious work to date.

Although echoes of Belle & Sebastian (the Washington Post described him as “Gentle Scottish folk with apop tinge. If Stuart from Belle & Sebastian did a solo gig…”) Nick Drake, Neil Halstead, Kings Of Convenience, Simon and Garfunkel and man yother artists resonate, Kerr’s style is singularly distinctive. Having concentrated on the international market for the last few years, one of Scotland’s broadsheet newspapers – Scotland on Sunday – had described him as “one of the most interesting and creative musicians working in the country right now” in its rundown of the “Hottest Scottish Talent” with the biggest-selling newspaper in Scotland (Daily Record) saying of his last album “one of Scotland’s best-kept secrets offers another magical mix”. With the release of the new album and as news of his international success gets out at home, this “best-kept secret” will surely be revealed.

www.allykerr.com

EPK: www.sonicbids.com/allykerr

music@allykerr.com