LCM ALBUM OF THE WEEK
BOW OUT OF THE FADING LIGHT - THE DELTA BELL
Release date: 31st July, 2015
Genre: Country, Folk, Americana, Gospel
Location: Brighton, England
Record Label: Ginsoaked Records/At The Helm Records
Website: http://thedeltabell.com/
Tracks: 11
'Bow Out Of The Fading Light' is the highly anticipated debut album from Brighton based singer-songwriter Kate Gerrard, otherwise known as The Delta Bell. On the album she is joined by a host of very good musicians who add depth and texture to Kate's excellent songwriting. The album was recorded at Flipflop Studios in Brighton by Joe Watson. The lone whiskey-soaked soul of Kate’s voice carries timeless songs of love, loss and redemption over a landscape of guitars, piano, pedal steel, harmonium and strings. Songs sweep from tender, intimate arrangements to warm orchestration and gospel harmonies. We love the highly crafted storytelling lyrics of Kate's songwriting and her arrangements and melodic hooks.
The album begins with the gospel infused almost hymn like 'Carry Us Home' with Joe's Watson's harmonium introduction building to a glorious choir backing of Beth Chesser, Stephanie Goodman and Sally Megee. The song has an almost hypnotic refrain running through it 'The light will carry us over. The tide will carry us home’
'Phosphorus' is a stripped back tale of lost love just acoustic guitar, cello and almost 'heart-beat' percussion.
One of our favourite songs on the album is the up-tempo Country Blues 'Wasted'. With its great catchy hook and Andrew Blake's pedel steel, this song of failed young love was incidently Kate's debut single. "Don't call the taxi, just take the car. Don't care where your going, just as long as its far. Don't wind the window down, to say farewell. Get on that motorway and go straight to hell. Anywhere but here, wasted on heartache and tears".
With it's atmospheric organ and backing vocals 'Of Mist' could easily be on a Western movie soundtrack. It's rythmic guitar picking and volin adds to the feel as well.
The retro early sixties syle 'Forever Yours' with its 'Sh-la-la' backing vocals could easily be a slightly stripped Phil Spector produced song. The song harks back to signature sound of The Crystals, The Ronettes and Shangri-Las.
With it's simple guitar arrangement the heartfert 'Strings' is another song of loss love "You are the strings of my soul". The intro and guitar hook reminds us a little bit of Fleetwood Mac. The album continue with the glockenspiel and volin led 'Every Tonight'. We return to Country territory for 'I've Seen The Way' with its excellent pedal steel accompaniment by Andrew Blake and drums by Grant Allardyce. "You didn't care about the hurt you caused, just as long as it wasn't yours. Throwing stones into the sea, but throwwing stones right at me".
The darker almost gospel 'goth-like' 'Lay Him Down' a song about a failed relationship. With it's flugelhorn and choir backing vocals 'Churches' is a song of loneliness and the contrast to glorious singing in Church. The album ends with 'Until The Night' with it's mournful cello and organ, complementing Kate's delicate guitar picking and vocal.
Track Listing
- Carry Us Home
- Phosphorus
- Wasted
- Of Mist
- Forever Yours
- Strings
- Every Tonight
- I've Seen The Way
- Lay Him Down
- Churches
- Until The Night