Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The reflections we see are often distorted by time and our own feelings of damnation that we carry through each day, the load becoming slightly heavier, slightly more cumbersome as time passes without us addressing the damage we may have caused, or the beauty we allowed to bypass us because we were too angry, too weak, too determined to miss it.
Reflection may be a distortion, but looked upon closely it is a moment in which we see our souls as others may see us fleetingly, and to stand back and take in the full effect we can see where what may be considered an imperfection is actually a mark caused by Time in which we can see art evolve.
Yorkshire’s own Bella Gaffney understands the feelings, the sentiments, and the decisions that are captured by reflecting in the mirror of life, instead of discussing the possibility of outcome in the future on display and speaking highly of the advantages that come with such positive rumination.
Never speak badly of yourself, even in jest, for the mind cannot tell the difference; and it is to the encouragement solidly commended by Ms. Gaffney in her latest, and stunningly powerful album, Reflections, that the listener is gratified to understand her thoughts so intrinsically framed can, not only mirror their own, but expand on them, give them light.
The album is a folk hero’s presentation of our modern society, of the inspiration that is there to be found if we lift our heads and actually look deep into the world of mirrors. For inside, as the great Scottish musician and poet once noted, there may be a wilderness there, but it is also full of ready appreciation, a swathe of signs pointing the way to a field of expressions and a world of attraction.
Across tracks such as Blood In The Earth, Holy Island, Seven Black Roses, Fair And Tender Ladies, and a live version of Gallows Pole, Bella Gaffney strides with purpose though the false illustrations that bewitch others, and leads those who follow in her wake to a place where description, full and frank, is a statement of security.
A wonderfully produced album, a folk paradise captured by a force of will that is nothing short of motivating and full of enthusiasm.
Bella Gaffney releases Reflections on July 28th.
Ian D. Hall