Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Addie Brik is resolute in her delivery, but then that truly should come as no surprise, an individual driven, not by the joy of success, but by the calm need to understand all that comes before her, to feel the answers being considered, reflected and pondered upon, in what is an impressive mind, and then with her discoveries mused upon, the thoughts giving way to the experience of writing.
The latest in this long line of mediated, charismatic contemplations comes in the form the freedom enticing I Have A Doctor On Board, an array of songs that come out of the journalistic approach of asking questions and listening, seriously attending to every word and syllable spoken, and then with the wisdom of your craft at your disposal, turning them into unforgettable pieces of drafted melodies that capture the time well spent.
It is arguably a truth of the age that the more we explore the depths of human thinking, the less we truly know for certain, that we analyse and question every aspect of our lives and yet still are no closer to truly understanding what brings us to that particular moment in time. The problem is quite often remedied by silent observation and listening to what is being said, making a note of what is omitted and then grasping the detail; like seeing a Scottish rocky cliff full of birds squawking in unison but not noticing the predator that has trapped them before they can fly away.
In songs and moments of the serene such Here Comes The Lover, Rumbowline, Velocity Made Good, Coffin Ships and Belly, Addie Brik’s attention to detail is beyond reproach, a symbol of the expression that she finds in her own influences, in the lives of those who make observance and listening a virtue, a trait that one who followed the important work and creative prowess of Allen Ginsberg to the letter.
I Have A Doctor On Board is a beautiful and emotional album, one that cares for the detail, one that has the truth of principle imbedded throughout its muscular frame; a real joy to find there is a Doctor on board.
Ian D. Hall