aaamusic | On 25, Oct 2010

Andy Whittle- Spanish Armada by Cannonball_PR

“Andy Whittle has the rare gift of being able to translate what he sees and experiences in life, into successful song lyrics, with ease and poignancy” –MAVERICK

With his distinctive emotive voice and intricate folk guitar style reminiscent of the likes of James Taylor and Ralph Mctell, Nottingham based Andy Whittle has been forging a name for himself for the past four years as one of the UK alt-folk scene’s most respected and prolific young singer-songwriters, since the release of his critically acclaimed debut ‘Old Fashioned Dream’ in 2006.

‘Reflections of an Illusion’, Andy’s forth album sees him embark on a more mature, lyrical and diverse route of production from his previous work in 2008’s ‘Moon Enough To See’ and 2007’s ‘A Songmaker’s Tale’. Whilst still retaining his innate and now well honed ability to craft movingly beautiful and engaging stark acoustic melancholy, this time Whittle is backed minimally by Andy Hill on bass and electric guitar, Jezz Hall on Banjo, Tom Parratt on drums and the vocals of Helena Derriscott. The album meanders, painting quaint quintessential English pastiche pictures of ‘Sandy roads and railway tracks’, ‘the church with the broken cross’ and ‘the forest road where the rooks are nesting’ that sometimes resonate darker undertones of longing and loss.

‘Spanish Armada’ see’s Whittle weave a rich Simon and Garfunkel-esque tapestry of sparkling acoustic arpeggios and pretty mandolin melodies for his personable vocal to comfortably nest upon and soar skyward from. Delivering enduring heart on sleeve lyrics like ‘The waves crash upon what is gone, cannons at dawn, it wouldn’t take me much to fall, so take your aim, all of my cards have been played’, Whittle and Derriscott’s voices echo with a haunting fragility. ‘Wide Awake Waltz’ opens with a solemn banjo and Whittle’s witty lyrics have more room to breathe. When the band join there’s a gentle sense of nostalgia and honesty with candid lyrics describing wing mirrors strewn on the ground and rudeboy’s shouting from their BMX’s with reference to believing in signs, as the track builds with brushed percussion.

Andy explains that the title and theme of the album are ‘about reflecting upon elements in your life which you thought were constant, and realizing that in reality, nothing is to be taken for granted, and really, everything is always changing.’ As the opening track suggests by its title and hook line ‘It’s easier said than done, it’s easier written down than sung’, this is a personal and introspective album of thoughtful and emotionally charged songs written from tender real life experiences.

www.andywhittle.com