Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
We can deny the accusation all we want, but at some point, we have to admit to ourselves that we are capable of sabotage of the self, of causing pain to the inner child that resides within us all, and the complications we reap as we face the inevitability of the Still Life reflecting back at us from the pool of our soul.
The sooner we admit what we are capable of, the sooner we can heal from the constant day to day damage we further inflict ourselves, and if we find ways to communicate such harm, if we embrace the artistry available, then the hurt, the drive of interruption upon the beauty inside can be smoothed over, it can become a lesson of survival in to which others notice and take the appropriate actions in which to see still life as a chance to set the rivers of being running once more.
In her third album, Still Life, Carson McHone tackles the very real issues pressing the human existence that are not stimulated by external forces. Yes, we face unfathomable threats every day from others ill-timed thinking, but it is the breaking point of drama that makes us feel as though we are on the crest of a rapidly moving wave with nothing in our way but the fear of exposure, and the calm realisation that we can control the wave if we put enough faith in our actions.
Actions and hope, caught and framed with positivity and affirming confidence, that is how Carson McHone’s music is created and presented to the world as one who has seen the signs of surrender, and dismissed them, fighting on in the winds of confusion, reflecting on the ways to counter the destructive element within the heart; and as tracks such as the impressive album title track of Still Life, Fingernail Moon, Sweet Magnolia, Only Lovers, End Of The World, Trim The Rose, and Tried, all become willing partners in the struggle, all adding their dexterous weight to the image of self-care and reliance.
It is in the quiet interludes that the album bares it soul, the music a kaleidoscope of emotional feeling which acts as a colossus standing guard at the listener’s mind, offering encouragement, offering salvation, and one that is progressive in its overall structure and arrangement. An album that understands the value of admittance, of its own principles, Still Life is a heartbeat that does not rest.
Carson McHone releases Still Life on February 25th.
Ian D. Hall