LUCY WARD – Single Flame
aaamusic | On 03, Aug 2013
What a beautiful second album from young British folk singer-songwriter, Lucy Ward! Having fallen in love with the traditional folk songs she heard in sessions and clubs at a young age, she went on to explore the stories and music of the folk tradition, gigging up and down the country, reaching the final of the BBC Young Folk Award in 2009 and last year winning the Horizon Award for best newcomer at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Single Flame, her latest album is quite a rollercoaster of emotions – from the hardened, determined ‘I cannot say I will not speak’ to ‘Icarus’, a moving song about lost love – Lucy Ward has certainly worked on creating her own sound over the two years since her debut ‘Adelphi has to Fly’.
A mixture of plaintive melody and rocky grooves, Single Flame is a medley of traditional songs and Lucy’s own compositions. In contrast to her debut album she lets her quirky experimental side break free, the result being some really interesting textures, harmonies and use of instruments. I was surprised at just how rocky ‘I cannot say I will not speak’ was – such a thrilling rise to the end of the first track! Initially quite a relaxed, spacey melody with sparse electric accompaniment, gradually building up to remind me of Steeleye Span’s ‘Bonny Black Hare’, and then descending into a full on rock riff! The first three songs alone display her versatility as a singer and creativity as an arranger and composer; she captures the character of each song and puts on a different persona to tell her stories. I particularly like the direct address of solo voice in ‘The Last Pirouette’; it really captures the essence of Lucy’s voice – a rough, earthy shell with a dense richness to the centre. Having said this, ‘Icarus’ displays a completely different side to her – her voice takes on an almost ethereal, breathy quality and the placement of the lyrics is stunning. She is not afraid to leave space where many would be tempted to fill gaps. The ebb and flow of the simple guitar line and sustained notes on violin work beautifully as a backdrop to Lucy’s voice.
The album as a whole works really well – such a variety of different tempi and song styles and with nice contrasts throughout. ‘Rites of Man’ is a welcome slower number after ‘Velvet Sky’ and Lucy has turned the idea of climax on its head by creating a huge build up on the first track and ending with the very relaxed and simple ‘Shellback’. The new album, produced by Stu Hanna of folk duo Megson will be released by Navigator Records on the 19th August 2013 and is well worth listening to!
Heather Ryall
