The British Folkgrass Revolution starts here
This is a spectacularly odd album as at face value it looks and sounds like a traditional British Folk album; but with a Bluegrass or even Hillbilly sound at its heart.
Opening track ‘Lover O’er Mine’ wouldn’t be out of place in a Galway pub, Scottish Folk Festival or a Kentucky Saloon because it has more than its fair share of all three Regional components making for a very heady musical brew that will stand the test of time.
‘Life and Death’ is a stark and sombre song, full of searing harmonica and haunting fiddle playing from Nicole Terry alongside some atmospheric drumming in the background as Daniel Wright pours his heart for all the world to hear. This could easily be an old Townes Van Zandt song; but it’s not and I can’t praise the writer highly enough.
Normally providing exquisite harmonies Stevie-Leigh Goodison gets to sing lead alongside Wright on the funereal Country break up song ‘These Tears’ and left me wanting more of her delightful voice.
If I was to choose a favourite from the six tracks here it would have to be the barren love song ‘Bluebird’; because the lyrics, banjo, fiddle and shuffling drumbeat could and should be from some rural dusty town in America; but instead it comes from Nottingham in Middle England.
The mini-album ends with the sweet harmonies and banjo of ‘Six White Horses’, a tale that sounds like it comes straight from a rain soaked Coen Brothers movie; as Daniel Wright takes the role of a man looking back on his life from the grave.
Music comes in all shapes and sizes; appealing to people for a million different reasons, so Bluegrass and Folk purists will quite possibly hate A Wicked Wind Blows, but if like me you have an open mind, these six tracks will not only break your heart but make you demand a full length album by the end of the year.
http://www.themostuglychild.com/
released July 7th
Wire and Wool Records
The Rocking Magpie 