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Amy Newton is a singer with a big following in North Devon and her fan base is set to grow with the release on her new album.

The Braunton based singer-songwriter has gone back to basics for her second album, 'Which Hand', which is officially released at the 2007 North Devon Festival.

The album features 10 new songs written and produced by Amy and was recorded in a home studio set-up in her dad's living room.

She plays all the instruments on the album herself and the result is more in tune with Amy's live performances.

Amy at the Goldcoast Oceanfest (Extremeboardshots)

"I'm really excited, it's great to be able to launch the album here in North Devon," said Amy.

"I've got a lot of new material. The new album is more simplistic, I play percussion, bass and guitar. On the first album the arrangements were more elaborate musically.

"This one is much more raw, I've tried to emulate how I sound live because many of my fans have said that's what they like listening to.

"We have a mini studio at dad's place and we set that up in the living room. I locked myself in the lounge and pressed record."

"When I recorded the first album I was going through a difficult time, it was a bit more mellow and maybe more sorrowful. This album has more humour, it's a more jokey rather than serious. It reflects my current mood."

Amy's music career took off after she sang at a friend's wedding. Several of the guests asked her if she would record some of her music - so she recorded eight solo acoustic tracks. The demo ended up selling more than 1,000 copies.

Amy as pictured on her new album. Photo Tim Barrow

A chance meeting at the Glastonbury Festival in 2004 led to her next big break - the recording of her first album 'Lost for Words'.

Recorded at Gateway Studios with some of London's most respected musicians, 'Lost for Words' was professionally engineered by Steve Lowe and produced by Derek Johnson.

Working alongside some of the best in the business gave Amy the confidence to strike out on her own when she started work on her second album.

"I went from being in a massive studio with a sound engineer, session musicians and a producer, to doing everything myself," explained Amy.

"I played all the instruments, mixed it and producedΜύit. I've gone full circle in a way, there are good and bad points.

"With this one I had complete control, but I couldn't have done it without the experience I gained from making the first album.

"Playing with other musicians gives you more interaction and that buzz you get from camaraderie. And when there's a producer, they make the decisions and it's kind of comforting.

Amy at the North Devon Festival

"I really enjoyed making it my own way. There was no pressure being in the studio and it was a lot more introspective, it was usually just me in there.

"The first album was mastered in Abbey Road studios and the production was extremely polished.

"This album is in its rawest form, so there's scope if someone wanted to take it further and re-record it.

"I hope it sells well, but it would be great if a big label took it on. I'm going to send the songs to publishers and see what they can do.

"Last year I lived in London for a while, but I've created a fan base here in Devon. It's better to build things up slowly. Devon is where I'm known by most people, but I'm gradually getting known further afield.

Amy and her band will launch the new album with a concert at the Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe on 3 June. She's also playing the Goldcoast OceanFest on Friday 15 June.

Amy's album 'Which Hand' is released on her own label Monster Music. It's available from record stores in North Devon and on the internet.Μύ

* Listen to Amy perform live on John Govier's Late Night Radio Show, using the audio link on this page.