Elly Roberts reviews
Blackheart: Indigo
Distributed by
Sugar Tree Records
- Released: Out now
- Rating: 10/10
- Vote and comment on this album:
Duo Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington are well known on the folk scene,
having performed with luminaries such as Martin Carthy, Julie Felix, The
Strawbs and US legends Steve Forbert and Hunter Moore.
Dripping in honeyed harmonies and melodies, Indigo is an album to
savour, whatever your musical preferences.
From the off, you detect credible and classy studio performances with well
crafted songwriting that will undoubtedly appeal to all ages. Combining original
folky sensibilities and 21 century stylings they bring the genre bang up-to-date.
Songwise, it swings from melancholy to hope, love and disappointment to death
with flourishing ease, though it never veers towards depressing. Mostyn has a
real knack of delivering a ‘killer’ lyric, especially on the sad songs, which
is an art in itself.
Wonderland is a lament with a contradictory upbeat angle and great chorus,
reflecting on the downside of life’s expectations, highlighted with lyrics "Wonderland
oh wonderland / Why is life never like I planned / no-one but me will ever
understand why I wanna go back / To wonderland."
Though, after considerable thought, Mostyn spouts, "No-one but me will ever
understand why I’ll never go back / To wonderland", proving it’s a woman
prerogative to change her mind.
There’s a sharp observation of lost love on the stunning Flowers For Tomorrow,
where the lover’s thoughts are elsewhere, accepting her present partner’s affections and
transferring her devotion to him. The heart wrenching line, "He’s not who I
thought my saviour would be / But he holds me every night and kisses away your
memory", is a real tear-jerker. Equally touching is 94 Years, the tale of
a daughter’s last chance to ‘communicate’ with her dying father.
One On One is a perky tale of fate, when two musical soul-mates team-up,
presumably Blackheart’s union, whereas the title track Indigo is a
bitter-sweet reflection on lost love. Somewhere In A Dream is a performance
cut that consolidates they can cut the mustard live on stage, and that the
studio sessions don’t flatter them one iota. In America is arguably their most
commercial song here,(a great single by the way, if ever released) taking a
look at the ‘American Way’, using a simple format and soaring chorus.
They have had some commercial exposure; literally, with ethereal Unlike Water
being the soundtrack to Moben Kitchens’ TV commercial that ran from Jan to
Sept 2007. Blue Flowers For Tomorrow, is a contemporary ‘it should have
been me’ wedding song. "Well I begged it would be me / But in a moment you and
he / Must say your words and I will be no more", sums it all up, as the
bride’s friend sees her ‘love’ slip away, under her nose.
Indigo deals with some pretty emotive issues all rolled up into one
beautiful package.
File under: Magnificent.
The full list of tracks included are :
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
