Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Some creatures are more observant than others, be they slight or minute, what they see and reflect upon should still be taken as evidence of their existence and their right to require a voice that should be heard.
The journey through life is full of these voices and in Little Sparrow, music lovers have the chance to fully embrace someone whose observations and musical interpretations are amongst the finest you are likely to hear. The joyful sadness, the stirring, inspirational notes that Little Sparrow brings to her songs is akin to the fruitful day time walk through the woods closest to your home and discovering the world as it should be, bountiful, full of meaning and an exercise in letting go of the despondency which growls and gnaws at the flesh.
The Wishing Tree contains tracks that are familiar to fans of Little Sparrow, having either played them live over the last three years or having found them hidden away in the undergrowth or camouflaged high tree tops of the Internet, but having put them together onto one very solid album, Little Sparrow captures the attention, the sound of the songbird fully plumed and basking in the sunshine of delicately placed instruments with the song gathering pace is noticed fully.
Tracks such as Polly, The Flame, the very cool Sending The Message and the outrageously enjoyable The Hunted (A Bear’s Tale) all have their own story to tell, the sound of the vignette in all its glory but with added bonus of being sung by a woman who really understands what she does to the listener’s perception, of how she plays with their feelings and the true warmth that builds up before spilling over like a mass of soil uprooted by a mole searching for cooling night air.
Little Sparrow has all the musical agility of Tori Amos with the heart of Christine McVie thrown in for good measure, her music is too good to be allowed to fester alone in some gilded internet cage, The Wishing Tree allows the voice to be heard in such a way that complements her life performances.
The Wishing Tree is released on May 6th. Little Sparrow will be performing at Studio 2 on Parr Street on Sunday 11th May.
Ian D. Hall