Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
A journey undertaken is never time wasted. We don’t do enough to acknowledge the bravery of those souls who seek a path away from all that they know and who will willingly venture into the undiscovered and strangely fascinating, we act as if it no big deal to leave everything behind and taste adventure, when in actual facts it can be the hardest thing in the world to do, to say goodbye and appreciate that you might never see their faces again.
Those Who Roam by whatever means necessary, to those we should salute as modern-day romance figures, those that keep up the hope that we all deep down share, that by taking to the road might lead to enlightenment, fulfilment or perhaps even just peace of mind, it is to those that we should see as noble spirits.
It is in keeping with such gestures and solemn declarations that Claire Hastings opens up the guide to good travelling and seeks out memories in which to place before the listener, tales of those who roamed for work, for justice, out of spite, for love, and reminds us that just because a song belongs within a traditional mode of expression, that doesn’t mean it cannot resonate with the way we see the world today.
For the Aberdeenshire scything squads of the 18th Century, reed workers from Eastern Europe who find themselves going from place to place because they have the knowhow and ferocity of spirit to do what others would baulk at; it is to Those Who Roam that we owe a debt of thanks for.
From the opening heartfelt beauty of The Lothian Hairst and through the clear waters of ingenious song-writing that encompasses tracks such as Seven Gypsies, Sailin’s a Weary Life, Fair Weather Beggar, Noble Helen of Cluden and King of California, Claire Hastings truly develops a crucial understanding and empathy for those whose real and fictional stories she has been entrusted with.
To be able to roam is a privilege, it is a right that we must to preserve, for one day those who see travel as more of an art form, of seeing every scar and blessing in the land will soon be told they cannot rove any longer, and in that decision a little piece of what it means to be human, fades away.
A sublime album, perfectly announced, Those Who Roam frames the point of individualism and creative journeys.
Claire Hastings will be performing at The Met in Bury on April 19th.
Claire Hastings releases Those Who Roam on January 18th via Luckenbooth Records.
Ian D. Hall