ALBUM REVIEW: Sandy Wright - 'The Songs Of Sandy Wright'

Sandy Wright, The Songs Of Sandy Wright (Navigator Records, 2010)



Even though he is now sixty years of age, and has been a much-loved character on the Edinburgh music scene for many years now, Sandy Wright will be a new name to many people. He could well be Scotland's answer to the great American masters of music, such as Johnny Cash or Kris Kristofferson, writing songs that offer both heartwarming beauty, and a gritty realism, but most importantly songs that are always rooted deeply and honestly in real life. In the same way that Cash or Kristofferson perform with a resolutely American character, Sandy has a sound imbued with a distinctly Scottish personality. Sandy's songs have a soul bruised by the battles of every day life, yet a heart that bursts with the warmth of pride and self-consciousness. This album, Sandy's debut solo recording, showcases a small selection of intimate recordings, taken from a likely plentiful bounty.

Whether his approach is bucolic or sentimental, Sandy has a knack of really hitting the right nerve, in terms of both lyric and delivery. The uplifting tenor of "My Shining Star" celebrates a friend or loved one who provides a timely respite from the depths of despair, whilst "In The Summertime" is an affectionate dream of summertime romance, with Sandy's lyrics calling all the senses to action. "53rd State Of America" finds Sandy wearily lamenting the overpowering effect of American values and culture on our native shores, and on "Whores And Bitches," he can be heard descending into an impassioned maelstrom of frustration and anger: "nobody scores like bitches and whores, spent all my riches on whores and bitches."

You will also find deliciously simple vignettes of ordinary life and ordinary people, that illuminate with a fondness that avoids cloying sentimentality. "This Old House" pays weary homage to some shambolic bricks and mortar, drawing comparisons with a similarly shambolic heart, whilst "Tin Badge" portrays resignation in the face of a more individual battle: "I'm hanging up my faded hat, and my worn out leather skin."

That Sandy's songwriting has been a well-kept secret closely coveted by many luminaries of the folk world, is well evidenced on the accompanying disc, containing interpretations of Sandy's songs from the likes of Chris Wood, Karine Polwart, Eddi Reader, and Kris Drever; some of these songs you may recognise as favourites from popular albums by the aforementioned artists. Taking the crown here is Michelle Burke's take on "Hey Mama," an unusual perspective of a death-row inmate, filled with the pain of regret and helplessness, and written with the utmost integrity and perception: this is a perfect example of just how Sandy instils his lyrics with the very lifeblood of humanity, no matter how challenging the subject.

Now the secret's out of the bag, there is of course no stopping the frenzied word of mouth that will doubtless heap belated praise on Sandy Wright. It seems inappropriate to suggest that a man of such experience, and now in his sixties, shows promise, but this collection of songs is certain to provide the folk world with a character of instant legend.

Visit Sandy on MySpace here!

ALBUM REVIEW: Krista Detor - 'Chocolate Paper Suites'

Krista Detor, Chocolate Paper Suites (Corazong Records, 2010)



Krista Detor is one of those slow-burning artists, who quietly turns out albums brimming with classy and engaging songs, portraying a view of life that is sometimes wry, and always thoughtful. Listeners fall at her feet following their first encounter, and whole audiences find themselves quickly under Krista's spell, eating out of the palm of her hand. Soon, she will dominate the world, but for now a growing and adoring army of followers can enjoy her latest efforts, and find much in the way of further ammunition to assist in their evangelisation of the uninitiated.

Chocolate Paper Suites is not without a certain quirkiness, with the fifteen songs gathered into five suites. The themes that bind the suites, or even the very reason for their being, aren't always immediately obvious but this only adds to the hypnotic enigma that Krista instils within her craft.

"Rich Man's Life" opens the album with an ominously pounding rhythm section and a tenacious string arrangement that adds further menace. Krista's vocals bring with them a degree of scorn that makes you wonder whether she's really cut out for the rich man's life that her lyrics crave. By the third track, "Recklessness & Rust," Krista is firmly in her familiar territory, accompanied by just her own piano and a hammered dulcimer, delivering a healthy dose of realism that should feel like a slap around the face, but instead feels like a gentle arm round the shoulder ("everything returns to dust, everything returns to rust, just like the buckle on your shoe, soon be copper coloured too"). Combined with a view of the world that has an undeniably childlike wonder ("waltzing angels whispering secrets to the alabaster"), Krista manages to fashion a sense of candour and comfort, that results in an unavoidable and unreserved surrender of your heart and mind to her bewitching spell.

Krista also has her fair share of jazz-soaked, sultry chanteuse moments, as evidenced here by "Teeter-Totter on a Star;" the way she gently attacks each syllable yet hangs on to notes with a dreamy insouciance, really is the ultimate musical seduction. When she's not soothing or seducing, Krista can also whip up a manic frenzy, and her frantic cries for cigarettes and black coffee on "Middle of a Breakdown" are indeed an edgy performance. The most poignant moments are generally where Krista's vocals are to the fore, against a sparse backdrop of piano and guitar, and where she appears to be imparting a plea to a friend or loved one: witness "Deliver Me," a cautionary "told you so" tale of unrequited love, or the gentle reminder provided by "A Hundred Years More" that time is slipping away whilst hopes and dreams remain much discussed yet ultimately unrealised.

A common factor throughout Krista's songs is the thoughtful intelligence that belies her lyrics, and this could be no more apparent than on the Darwin Songhouse suite. Composed and performed during a week-long retreat with seven other song-writers in a five-hundred-year-old Shropshire farmhouse, the three songs are soaked in the history of the Darwinian era, the challenging depth that defined Darwin's work, and a vivid evocation of the characters who occupied parts of Darwin's life. "Clock Of The World" is worthy of particular attention, contrasting the trivialities of bourgeois society with the inevitable and perpetual cycle of life: birth, marriage and death.

It's now been two years since I first fell for the veritable charms of this transatlantic siren of song, yet Krista's songs regularly catch my emotions off-guard; they behold an immediate and affecting impact that demands emotional engagement, and rewards with a perceptive and calming rapport. Chocolate Paper Suites persists beautifully, refining this delicious and distinct recipe.

Visit Krista's web site here!

Visit Krista on MySpace here!

ALBUM REVIEW: Bellevue Rendezvous - 'Salamander'

Bellevue Rendezvous, Salamander (Journeyman, 2010)



The artwork for Salamander greets you with a vibrant warmth: a glowing and alluring amalgam of reds and oranges that is both classy and intense. It is therefore the perfect visual embodiment of the aural splendour that awaits the listener, for the music presented on Salamander is all of these things... and so much more. On this, their second recording, you get a real sense that the trio have really hit their stride, finding a shared energy and rapport that undoubtedly results in some of the most spellbinding music you're likely to hear this year.

Billing themselves as "an acoustic trio with a broadly European repertoire," Bellevue Rendezvous' success can be partly attributed to an absence of musical boundaries, that enables them to draw from a diverse and stimulating palette, with an intoxicating array of rhythm and melody that holds the listener's attention. Gavin Marwick's fluid fiddle playing provides a nimble agility that is perfectly juxtaposed against the full-bodied depth of Ruth Morris' nyckelharpa, whilst the punchy rhythms of Cameron Robson's cittern and guitar provide an intricate framework that binds their overall sound.

The opening set of tunes is an animated affair with an instant and undeniable appeal; contemporary and traditional Swedish tunes meld to wonderful effect, with the three instruments entwined in a racy and intricate alliance that lasts for a mouthwatering eight minutes. This is followed by "Hanter Dro," a dance tune from Brittany with a sterner, more measured melody, and an assuredly classy presence.

Gavin Marwick's own creative ingenuity is revealed on a number of occasions on Salamander, with his tunes absorbing a broad range of traditional influences. "Firedance" perfectly captures the personal sadness and adrenalin of the Irish immigration that influences the composition, whilst "Trip To Uppsala" depicts the excitement and anticipation of a much happier journey.

"Makedonsko Devojche," (Macedonian Girl) is an achingly emotive piece of music, with a tranquility that effortlessly evokes an intense montage of reluctant sorrow, quiet strength, and reassuring beauty. The potency and empathy instilled in this interpretation is overwhelming in its meticulous detail, and a real testament to the remarkable calibre of the three musicians. Salamander retires gently and gracefully with the Scandinavian "Herding Song," leaving you in a state of awe, and eagerly awaiting the next instalment of Bellevue Rendezvous' pan-European ramble.

Salamander should cement the position of Bellevue Rendezvous as one of the foremost talents in traditional music, with a sound that stands out as truly distinct and imaginative. The opportunities for a band that truly embrace the full gamut of European traditional music is seemingly endless, and in the hands of Bellevue Rendezvous it would doubtless be an exhilarating journey on which to embark.

Visit Bellevue Rendezvous on MySpace here!