Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Perhaps of all the genres of music out there not to suffer a downward sense of appeal in its long and fruitful past across the whole spectrum of lovers of the art, Soul still finds new ways in which to enrapture the feelings of the individual, the ones who listen comfortably for the thousandth time of asking, and those who rarely dip their toe in the waters of anything other than their chosen musical love.
Unlike Jazz, Blues, Progressive, Metal, and even Pop, Soul seemed to survive what could have been a sharp decline in its popularity, always staying the course, never once wavering from its core fan belief, and is one that that captures an element, a spark of protest and conviction and a large segment of faith within its structure.
To be honoured by the genre you have to have something special about you, and if you are seen to evolve over the course of your time in front of your audience, then the Soul, like its musical namesake, becomes one of principle, of confidence, and one to which America’s Chastity Brown has fought her way to being one of the finest exponents of the modern era.
In her latest recording, Sing To The Walls, Chastity Brown refuses quite rightly to compromise on the effect of her music on the listener’s heart and mind, and produces a scintillating piece of art that excludes nothing, and embraces all.
The artist from Minneapolis brings her sound to an audience fully alert to her style and depth, and this new album is another step for them to take with pleasure and assurance, and as tracks such as Back Seat, Loving The Question, Boston, Hope, Gertrude, and the album title track, Sing To The Walls, all unveil the emotions, the drama, the sense of belonging and freedom, so the barricades, the barriers are not just lowered, they are torn apart, dismantled, thrown to the side and the fans, the lovers, and the ones in search of a home, come pouring through, unstoppable, unhindered, and unafraid.
A delightful album that epitomises as much about the musician and songwriter as it does the genre. Chastity Brown’s Sing To The Walls is soulful and soul driven, and it leaves a huge indentation on the heart.
Chasity Brown’s Sing To The Walls is out now and available via Red House Records.
Ian D. Hall