Liverpool Sound and Vision 9/10

It seems that there are names that circle the arts world for such a long time that the listener, the watcher of all things that have beauty attached to their soul, becomes attached to their output, gets used to the smile of groove that comes their way, and, certainly in the case of local music where you might have had the privilege of attending a moment in time where they graced the stage and delivered early musings and collected passions to come, it can come as a shock when you realise just how great they have been and have yet to deliver that debut album which you have been keenly waiting for.

For fans of Liverpool’s Rosenblume, the moment of absolute pleasure has dawned, and in his self-titled debut album recording, the sense of unassuming greatness is ready for the nation to hear with heartfelt adoration.

It has been a long time to wait, six years have passed since Rosenblume released the debut E.P that carries his name, but it is a wait that is worth its weight in gold. Full of direction, of almost intense studious effort, as though each second has been long thought over, mused against and ultimately, heart-stamped inducing sincerity coupled with the honour of the truth capturing and framing the experience, Rosenblume is an album that digs deep in to the musician’s soul, and then carries the shovel over to the listener, and asks them to go further, if they dare.

For dare they must, like a poet, Rosenblume sees the world in a way that other musicians such as Alan O’ Hare, Eleanor Nelly and The Shadow Captain have long insisted must be envisioned, and he does so with outstanding grace. Poetic, charming, it seems as though he has lived the title of his 2015 E.P., All Through The Fire, All Through The Rain and come out the other side with his heart intact, bruised as all artist eventually become, but with his soul ready to be candid, open, expressive, and ultimately uplifting.

Across tracks such as the single Knight In Shining Armour, Turn Every Fire, Halfway There, Darkness Before The Light, the incredible Name In The Sand, and Paint Things Red, Rosenblume places a gentle, sensitive hand on the shoulder of the listener, allows the connection of each sentiment, each reveal, every moment where the poetic strings of his chosen instrument and his elegant voice conspire discreetly to merge, to be profound and stirring.

The journey is long, and in the end, it doesn’t matter how far the distance between point A and point B, for not every voyage has the same effect on the soul, and in this excellent, indeed crushingly beautiful album, the journey is not a cruise, but a passage to another place entirely, one where sheer belief holds sway.

Ian D. Hall