Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

There is no flaw that cannot be overcome, there is no praise that should be anything but sincere, to deceive in such actions, to neglect both yourself and the object of your applaud is to do disservice to the world. In such actions the beauty of Roxanne de Bastion’s Heirlooms & Hearsay only stands taller, it is not so much a moment of beauty that captivates and spreads the sense of optimism, of joyful response to the questions that unfold but also one that frames how deep seated the artist’s thoughts go when they see parallels between the world they see and that in which their grandparents witnesses.

Generations come and go, fashions may change but the artist is always true to the sincerity they feel in the pit of the stomach and when they say what they mean without hindrance from the world around them, when they are not forced to hold back, that is where true illumination strikes a light of endurance. Regardless of whether they turn that illumination into anger such as The Sex Pistols, cynicism in the way that Pink Floyd mastered or just with a sense of beauty, the light will resonate and burn for the audience to hold with integrity and belief against the darkness that creeps ever forward.

For Roxanne de Bastion the music on Heirlooms & Hearsay is one of profound beauty, the sense of making sure that world sees the hope through the flames, through the fire and the fury and one that never strays from its objective, its core belief, of allowing the listener to dream, to aspire and understand what is expected of them, that they too must join in the fight, in whichever way possible against the plague of suspicion, misery and despair.

In songs such as Heart of Stone, the fantastic Train Tracks, All That Remains, Thicker Skin and Wasteland, Ms. de Bastion is rightful resolute in her ability to turn hope into peace, to tell the story of what happens after the final act and give credence to the notion that life will, and must, prevail.

Heirlooms & Hearsay is an album of exquisite taste, the sheer volume of content felt is astonishing and if you find that you cannot praise such a release, that if does not make you hold the torch of hope with a firm, artistic grip, then you really need to open your heart open a little more, for in such a sense, Ms. de Bastion’s sincerity is absolute.

Ian D. Hall