Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It has always been the life blood of any society, without the river there is no growth, no substance, no heart and it so often gets over looked unless you live along or near the banks of any great river, the ones that lead to the sea, the oceans; the rolling waves, the banks that overlook the lazy waters, where badgers, toads, good natured rats and the half sighted dear mole play, it is no wonder that we should all make the most of going Down To The River.

A gem is often forgotten in Time, what can stir the heart today might end in the decreasing play list in later times; a gem can become tarnished as any stone can be if not looked after. Treasure though, a jewel in its own casing, prized, pure and premium based, is the reflection in the water, the moment leading up to the shining gold in the handler’s pan being gazed upon for the first time.

Angela Paterson’s precious stone comes out of Islay, the moment of savouring the purest of drinks available, the truth in a cut glass and it is the tumbler of water that makes the songs distinctive, gracious and ideal, it is the serenity that makes the water flow and ebb with the listener’s intriguing mind. The words of a lyric writer raised on her surroundings and not afraid to play with memory is to be admired and is in that memory, the recall of a thousand drops of water encased in exciting tunes is to feel the tension and relief that pulls at any heart when they are allowing their emotion to be opened before the world.

In tracks such as Wax Doll, Ice Cold Eyes, Yesteryear and the superb Home To Islay, Angela Paterson allows that beautiful emotion not just to flow lazily down the stream, to be forgotten in time except by the rocks it slowly erodes but to collect and barge in to the sea as if controlled by a tsunami, a tidal wave of sensation that cannot be denied.

Down To The River, perhaps to play, maybe to learn, regardless of the reason, the result is the same, you want to put your feet in and relax in the thoughts of someone who has prepared the way forward.

Ian D. Hall