Blow The Wind Southerly
New Cat, 2023
8/10
Listen to Blow The Wind Southerly
The inestimable vocalist Esbe ventures into folk territory on this 8th studio album, where layers of vocal harmonies are present and appreciated across a Christmas Carol and a couple of Nursery Rhymes, too.
“Summer Is Icumen In” opens the listen with bright and dreamy harmonizing, where a timeless folk quality is emitted, and the title track follows with a very spiritual appeal that benefits much from poetic and pretty song craft.
At the midpoint, “Scarborough Fair” showcases stunning vocal prowess that resonates a very stirring climate, while “Three Blind Mice” layers the vocals playfully in a mesmerizing fashion that’s a bit hypnotic.
Deeper on the back half, “Go Tell Aunt Nancy” is an eloquent and expressive album highlight that’s got a lot of soul to it, too, and “Coventry Carol” exits with the sounds of a bell amid a darker presence that’a bit hazy in its creative nature.
Esbe makes each of these tracks her own, and interprets them with choral dynamics that manipulate tone and mood, and brings field recordings to the a capella experience that’s quite absorbing.
Travels well with: La Típica Folklórica- La Diablera; Vigüela- A la manera artesana