Music: New York one day and Leeds the next...

Oct 22 2007 by Katie Campling, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

STEPHEN Fretwell may have started his career as a singer/songwriter in Scunthorpe – but he’s come a long way since then.

He escaped the gloom of North Lincolnshire for the bright lights of Manchester and launched his debut album, Magpie, which won him success in 2004.

Now, he has returned from a long visit to New York ready to launch his second album, Man On The Roof.

The album and first single Scar are out now on Fiction Records and are already winning rave reviews.

Q Magazine called Fretwell ‘one of Britain’s finest new singer-songwriters’, while The Sun called him ‘Britain’s song-writing Messiah’.

Fretwell decided to record the album in New York because he fell in love with the city during a visit.

He worked with producer Eli Janney on the 14-track record, which may surprise fans who were expecting an album in a similar melancholy vein to his gold-selling debut Magpie.

The album is loosely based around relationships, with romance and adultery all covered in songs that are by turns funny, upbeat or heartfelt.

While working hard on the album, Fretwell found time to play a handful of sold-out solo acoustic shows in February and May – he even released a four-song EP Four Letter Words of tracks taken from the recording sessions.

Now, with the album released, he is ready to start touring proper and is spending October performing around the UK with support acts Simone White and Lazybones.

The tour will bring him to Leeds Irish Centre on October 24. For tickets, contact 0113 2444 600, or the 24 hour credit card hotline on 0871 2200 260. Alternatively, visit www.gigsandtours.com.

For more information about Stephen Fretwell and his support acts, visit www.stephenfretwell.com, www.myspace.com/simonewhite and www.myspace.com/lazybonessongs.