Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

One of the problems that the British seems to have dumped on its doorstep by the populaces of other countries, rightly or wrongly, is that we can be far too staid in our appreciation of other countries’ musical heritage. As a nation we might make the odd noise, the gestured nod in all the right places and congratulate the musicians on producing something insightful, thrilling perhaps, but it never seems to last. From one musical extreme to other, from the might of Heavy Metal to the laid back nature of Folk or the hedonism of pop culture, if it’s not sang in English we tend to hold it at arm’s length for fear of ridicule or misunderstanding.

It can be intriguing though, the chance to learn of another’s culture, after all, what Briton abroad likes to be tarnished with the uneducated, boorish, lager lout brush that regularly  comes across from the other way; pre-conceptions, like telephones, work two ways. To come across a voice as sweet as honey but with the tenacity that you would expect from a nation that has withstood everything thrown at it for longer than most could conceive surely should be seen as an asset to the music collection, if not sparking an interest in the language and thoughts of that country.

For Maltese singer and television presenter Corazon, her album Hawn Jien is a mixture of the exotic, the timeless and perhaps the once in a lifetime opportunity to send a message to the natural home of pop music that far beyond the shores of Dover, the historic ambience of Lerwick and the troubled independent spirit rising in Truro, Penzance and Saltash that music from any culture is worth at least looking into and not dismissing it as a secondary back water compared to Britain’s own values.

The album is recorded and delivered entirely in Maltese, not a hindrance as many might label with no forethought to the powers of investigation and intrigue, and it plays as beautifully as placing your aching heart and tired feet into the relaxing tranquil waters of Comino and letting the day simply melt away. Tracks such as the wonderfully played Jgħidu Kien Hawn Raġel, the idea of perfect free uninhibited love but with money changing hands, perhaps brutally are explored thoughtfully in Illejla B’Xejn and with songs such as Mari, Illejla b’xejn and Valz giving more credence to the extreme splendour of the landscape and of its people, Corazon has shown exactly what can be done with music far beyond the English Channel.  

Hawn Jien is a true diamond shining like the full moon in an untroubled sea.

Ian D. Hall