Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

We are constantly urged to enjoy the present moment, that what is past can never be repeated and the future of our endeavours and passions is not guaranteed, the current state of mind, shaped by the conspicuous actions of others and the news that inflicts its will upon us, is there to be revelled in, for who truly understands what Time has in store for us.

Time, the passion, the pain and the rare beauty of existence can be fleeting, what was so important yesterday, tomorrow may seem but a blur of memory and by trying to harness that energy that found itself to be an elusive partner you might find that it becomes as radical as Will-o’-the Wisp, teasing the unsuspecting over dangerous paths of regret and leaving them caught in the mire of their own boggy ground.

It takes a strong presence, a mind forthright and eager to set the record straight, in which to conjure and mix the past and the future together, to blend them into appreciating a truth of The Here & Now, an appreciation that even after some time in the wilderness comes the tranquillity of the sounds of home, of being in the at hand end enjoying the responsibility again.

For Joanne Louise Griffiths, making her way back to the loving arms of Merseyside is perhaps the first step in pursuing The Here & Now, a recording that is ten years old but has found a way to be freshly considered and admired for its naked honesty, for its tempting musical persuasion and the belief that the present is but a long time coming.

Time is after all nothing but an illusion of humanity’s perception on the mechanics and movement of the Universe and our involvement with it, time is not truthful, although it rings out in hope that the truth is found. For Ms. Griffiths Time is important, it is a measure of re-evaluating her own presence, her thoughts, and in songs such as The Bell, Ask Me, Last Train To Paradise, I Cannot Refuse, In Search of Love and the album’s title track The Here & Now, Ms. Griffiths, alongside the musicians, Lewis Fielding, Sarah Wackett, Kit Joliffe, Byron Wallen, Joe Auckland and Richard Batty,  the captured Time becomes a source of inspiration, a decade that had been allowed to pass, becomes now the reason for revival.

A wonderful sense of joy, of love and memory surveys all its sees in this album, a recording that does great justice to the talent of Joanne Louise Griffiths.

Ian D. Hall