Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Whatever is thrown at you by life, by those who would see you suffer because of their own insecurities, Rise above it all, and keep being inspired to produce your own elegant version of art…advice perhaps that is not given enough space in our lives, not given freely to us unless we come across the right teacher, the one who is invested in our wellbeing, who will mentally challenge us but urge us to be accepting that out there are people who will do us wrong, not because of who we are, but because they dislike themselves to the point of suffering.
Rise, always find the one who will utter those words to you when you least expect them, by doing so your actions will infuse a belief in others to stay above those willing to degrade and dishonour their intentions; and it is in this spoken serenade and odes to life beyond the dramas of the inflicted tongue that the Welsh folk singer Amy Goddard stands tall and with humility of voice in a way that finds the trail to the heart and allows the feel good factor to swoop in behind.
With guest musicians such as three-time nominated B.B.C. Radio 2 Folk Awards Musician of the Year Ross Ainslie, and Hannah Fisher, contributing greatly to the tremendous feel and emotion of the album, Ms. Goddard’s latest recording, Rise, is an album that appreciates the belief of stepping out of the shadows of ignorance and other’s self-imposed damage, and seeing the beauty within yourself, of acknowledging just how important you are to the world in every tiny detail.
Across tracks such as the sublime Cornish Mist, Hope Springs, The Beast Of The Cut, The Flow, Hunters Of The Sun, and the tremendous The Waiting Game, Amy Goddard unveils with relish and unpretentiousness a series of observations that frame the modesty of her world and her work and yet are beguiling in their own nature to add joy to any listener’s day.
An album of open-hearted beauty; Rise, and rise again, because the world knows you are here for a reason.
Amy Goddard releases Rise on July 22nd.
Ian D. Hall