Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Kipling may be seen to be an anathema in terms of experience in today’s opinionated world, his work under a certain type of microscope has garnered criticism, censure and in some quarters, out and out hate, he has become a poison to many, exhibiting traits that are unacceptable in a modern world. However, for whatever you may think of Rudyard Kipling, his assertion of twin imposters holds true, to treat triumph and disaster as one entity, the giving and taking away by fate and decree, then you will grow in strength, in both mind and spirit, you will find what everyone’s Been Meaning To Tell You, that life is a curve ball, not to be swerved, but to be met head on and dealt with, for in that movement stands victory.
It is a victory that Finnish musician Ina Forsman has met with a flourish, the coup of beating down the worry of time lost, of your work being misplaced and stolen by fate is one to look upon the face of the world and smiling, to take the opportunity in which to live a while longer and coming back so strong that it feels as if you have an undefeatable army at your side, covering your back and cheering your name in unison.
Riding high always leads to a downturn, it is how you deal with that imposter that marks you out as a person to be reckoned with, your determination, your skill and prowess should never be in question and Ina Forsman typifies that sense of belief perfectly as her brand-new album speaks volumes of.
Emotionally gratifying, expressions of ardour and soul are exhibited across the album in a way that perhaps might never have been explored had a lost phone full of songs been the final act of Ms. Forsman’s career. Twin imposters, triumph and disaster bleed just the same, both weep, both enquire of what happens next, and for the Finnish musician, the answer was only ever going to be, pull up the strides and deliver something even better, something even more dynamic.
Across songs such as Get Mine, Genius, Watcha Gonna Do, Miss Mistreated, Who Hurt You, Every Single Beat and Sunny, the sense of close, personal healing is evident, the sense of mystery explodes and all because refusing to bow to perceived fate is the exception rather than the rule, it takes guts, will and love to carry on in the face of disaster, and one in which this new album and the fans of the Finnish Blues will be seen to uphold as an enthusiastic promise to others. Disaster is temporary, it’s something Ms. Forsman has Been Meaning To Tell You.
Ina Forsman releases Been Meaning To Tell You via Ruf Records on January 25th.
Ian D. Hall