Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
What others may perceive as a hill to get over is for many something greater, an entity that looms large and with all the reverence of pedestal in which the most celebrated are often found to be placed upon and which is arguably a presence to which if achieved when scaled is a monument to human persistence and glory.
It might not be Mount Kosciuszko, the image of Everest doesn’t loom large over the project, Mont Blanc and Ben Nevis are nowhere to be seen, but as Sarah Blasko steps once more out of the studio and armed with all the necessary equipment proclaims with honesty and determination, I Just Need To Conquer This Mountain.
The fine art of melancholia is in the eyes of those who see the world of achievement as a flat progression to be a case of self-pity, a cause of living within the mind and not with over exceeding the impossible, and yet to live in a realm where the melancholic is lauded, where the mountain is beaten because it is not only there but because it symbolises human endeavour in the face of overwhelming odds, is to take pride in overcoming the nostalgic and the fear of discontent.
Sarah Blasko has lived through the pains of first and second camp, she has witnessed others fall from the wayside, and despite it all she continued onwards, each footstep struck into the deep and the rock celebrated, and in I Just Need To Conquer This Mountain the timeless sense of continuance, of the willingness to never crumble, the renowned Australian singer captivates and thrills in equal precious measure.
It is in the inner turmoil that the album resonates, and as tracks such as Bothering Me, I Can’t Wait Anymore, Emotions, the impressive Dream Weaver, and To Be Alone, all reflect the creative lament and the joyous mood that comes from an artist willing to test themselves and succeed with purpose.
Life is full of tests, full of peaks, pleasant valleys, and the drama of each emotion, the truth of it is to tell the difference between the climbable hill and the daunting mountain, one might gift you a stress-free experience, but it is too other that progress, passion, and performance are counted upon. I Just Need To Conquer This Mountain is a pinnacle of presentation and execution.
Ian D. Hall