aaamusic | On 19, Aug 2010

After a career spent writing for Beautiful South and Homespun it was just about time that the mind and lyricist of those great bands – David Rotheray – decided to go alone.

He does so with the album The Life of Birds, a tremendous manifesto for those, just like me and him, are more tempted to watch life as a half empty glass rather than a full one. Call us depressed if it pleases you, I call it poetry.

Lyrics are quite simply beautiful, impeccable, frank and honest. Take Almost Beautiful: a clear example of how talking about diseases such as Alzheimer can be transformed in to something bearable and pleasant, rather than just abruptly reminding us of how terrible this condition is.

Filled with folk touches, allegories and showing great ornithology knowledge (one for all The Sparrow, The Thrush and & The Nightingale), the album also boasts guests vocalists such as Eleanor McEvoy, Jack L, Eliza Carthy, Kathryn Williams and Jim Causley, who all contribute with their distinctive voice.

A great debut album, it should be in all good record collections.

Author: Tim