American singer/songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman, currently without a record deal after departing from Reprise last year, was in the U.K. this week for three live shows, attracting several interested labels to Monday's London show at Dingwalls.


The current holder of the 1999 County Music Assn. award for song of the year for "This Kiss," written with Annie Roboff and Robin Lerner and turned into a No. 7 hit by Faith Hill, Chapman also played shows in Glasgow and Sheffield before arriving in London. There, she gave a two-hour performance with Roboff, including many tracks from last year's Reprise "Greatest Hits" set.

Among the highlights was "Sand And Water," a song written after her husband's cancer-related death. Elton John took to performing the track in his live set as an "alternative" to the updated "Candle In The Wind," following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The show also featured a guest appearance by Simon Nicol of British folk traditionalists Fairport Convention.

In advance of signing a new deal, Chapman is already recording her next album. She performed a number of songs to be included on the recording, including "World Of Hurt," "Sleep," and "Wait For The Way." Country superstar Vince Gill has already recorded backing vocals for one song, and Chapman hopes to feature John Prine on another, "Every December Sky."