Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The unrest of the soul is universal, we have become damaged, we have declined in our ability to strive unceasingly and make good a promise to keep the planet we live on safe from harm; if neglect was not a wicked enough a crime to commit, to wilfully create disorder, eco chaos and a sickness of self, then to seek out the place Where The World Is Thin and dismiss the atmosphere as delicate, is missing the point, for where the world is thin, then strength of purpose is redoubled, renewed and amplified so that all may hear the declaration of intent.

The times we occupy is enough to make us doubt our resolve to witness change for the good, to lift the lives of others through words and deeds, and yet there are hardy souls around us, by our side, whispering beauty through every medium possible, and they are the strength we need to absorb, to engage with, and it is to the timeless serenity of voice and music of artists such as Kris Drever that the universal has a chance to attract decency, empathy and understanding.

For Kris Drever, the chance to once more relish the spirit of a solo observation away from the outstanding Lau, sees the talented musician tackle the way the way we have betrayed the Universal and the self in search of immediate gratification in which our soul feels the sickness of disease fully and without the possibility of being saved; or so it seems.

Through tracks such as More Than You Know, I’ll Always Leave The Light On, Scapa Flow 1919, Strike The Colours and the flowing insight of Hunker Down That Old Blitz Spirit, Kris Drever frames Time, our moment in the shadows and shines a light deep into the void, the darkness abates slightly with this wonderful intervention, and as is always the case when an artist finds a way to broach our own misguided attempts to dictate to the universal, sees the teeth of the monster eating our soul, fade away.

Where The World Is Thin sees Kris Drever once more give resonance and hope to the fragile, the slender chance that we might survive all the universe has to throw at us is gratifying and satisfying and one that the listener should breathe in the atmosphere deeply.

Ian D. Hall