KATHRYN Williams releases a new album and is in concert in South Wales next week.

The acoustic-guitar- playing, Mercury-prize nominee releases Relations on Caw Records on Monday, May 17.

And she can be found playing live in the Pop Factory, Porth on Friday, May 2, with Jack Harris in support.

Relations is a compilation of covers and Kathyrn is proving just as popular in other songwriter's shoes.

BBC Radio 2 made it their Album of the Week last week and the LP's tender renditions have earned some critical acclaim.

Therein are stark, brave versions of tracks as diverse as Nirvana's All Apologies and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.

She croons through the song made famous by Rod Stewart, In a Broken Dream by David Bentley, and recreates the heady brew served up with The Byrds' Ballad of Easy Rider.

There are also less well known numbers by the likes of Lou Reed, Neil Young, and Jackson Browne.

Relations is the third album by Kathryn Williams. It was her first, Little Black Numbers which took her to the Mercury awards.

The black-slapping fest is infamous for spoiling careers with a sudden shot of hype followed by pitiful anti-climax.

But Williams is one artist whose career has benefited from the exposure, going from an unknown barely able to scrape together the £200 entry fee to artist signed to major label eyeing the David Gray market. And, while she has yet to enjoy the same success as that singer, Williams has released consistently decent albums to an appreciable and ever growing audience.

Tickets for Porth are £5. Dial 01443 744102, visit www.kathryn williams.net for info.