Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Some Kind Of Longing, a world perhaps that we have lost focus of, one of vibrancy, of joie de vivre, or perhaps of just plain honesty, however we view that sense of aching realisation that natural forces once experienced by humanity have become a narrower option for us to enjoy and reconcile us with each other, some kind of longing, a kind of mystery we need to explore within before we find ourselves emotionally, physically on a one way track leading to oblivion.
Nicole Hale’s name might be unrecognisable to many, especially in the U.K. however as she approaches her fourth album, on the back of the stirring self-titled debut in 2009, Rough Recordings in 2011, and the sublime House With The Little Rose Garden in 2015, the mystery behind her is wonderfully compelling and in tune with the frequency of expression that marks her out as being a kind of oracle, a messenger of providence to whom the lyric and the physicality of the song are a weapon of enlightenment; and Some Kind Of Longing is no different in that respect, it is an album that doesn’t hide from the darkness, and indeed perhaps celebrates it, certainly allowing it to speak, but one bathed in light and reflection.
The songs that make up this wonderfully crafted album, including Inner Critic, Following A Straight Line, Been On My Mind, Give It Time, Dream When Awake, and the album title track of Some Kind Of Longing are attention grabbing, they don’t seek an audience with the listener, they actively, demonstrably, reason with sharp wit that they intend to be taken seriously, and by the final bars of the co-produced album with Britton Beisenherz, Nicole Hale’s vision is clear and precisely laid out for all to reckon with.
The album includes the talented Lindsey Verrill on bass, cello, and flute, Thor Harris on drums and vibraphone, Jeff Johnstone on, amongst others, saw, harmonium, and autoharp, Elizabeth Warren on violin, and Ethan Azarian and Jenny Carson on backing vocals, and in this expansive, haunting recording that sense of musicianship at her disposal, as well as her own gregariously endowed timing, should see her finally transition across the Atlantic swell and see her music become apparent and taken seriously.
Four albums down the road, Some Kind Of Longing is the response of the age, and a captivating one in which to delve.
Ian D. Hall