Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Time is precious, the performer even more so, and as we find ourselves in strange times, as we place ourselves in the hands of effort and finality, so we must seize the opportunity to find the one who keeps our sanity intact, our heart enthralled and the mind actively pursuing the kind of words that make us think, make us understand that compassion is not just an emotion to be savoured but one that an artist must install into each person they meet to make sure that the world improves, that the love of the Wintersong that enhances the warmth of the season, continues marching on through the rest of the year.
The Romans may have had for the depths of winter, seemingly ignoring them as just a period of time when nothing was expected to be done, and yet the Wintersong persists, it glows like fire in a hearth, busy, seductive, the flickering flames it produces giving the appearance of its own reality, a passionate reminder that winter is not a time for sadness but a lingering era of joy which can make the bard, the musician, the artist, stand out amongst the days of snow and bleak misgivings.
For Liverpool’s Only Child the sound is evermore, it has undoubtedly seen Alan O’ Hare become a point of focus in his native home town for his beautiful observational lyrics and the inclusion of the string quartet players who add to the live recording with the type of armour that always brings a tear to the soul and a twinkle to the eye of hopeful expression, is to be admired, to love the season but know there is so much on offer than one simple date.
The combination in Wintersong: Live With String Quartet is stunning, a heady ballad of seasonal love supplied by Amy Chalmers, Lee Warren Shone, Lara Simpson, the commander of the bow Vicky Reid, Jordan Garbutt, Fiona McConnell, and of course the man behind Only Child, Alan O’ Hare is quite frankly overwhelming and as treasures such as St. Saviour’s Square, Lookin’ For A Song, Green Eyes Singing, North John Street and the finale of Only Child ricochet and make tender eyes at the heart, make true the demand of the listener that they must pay heed to what is going on around them, as observation is a fact of life, and if accompanied by a remarkable sound, makes the senses glow, the winter soon turning to the steady hand of spring; and the further stories to be told.
A live album that moves the listener to another place, but which keeps them firmly in the heart of a Liverpool favourite, winter has always been beautiful, now the Wintersong extends that feeling of purity we feel when we place our hands in the snow and leave a trace of ourselves in the shadows.
Ian D. Hall