Reviews

Artist:Amelia Hogan
Album: Taking Flight
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 16
Website: https://www.ameliahogan.com/

San Francisco resident Amelia Hogan has a reputation as one of America's finest exponents of the Irish music tradition. Her graceful, sweet and lyrical approach to sean-nós has captivated listeners consistently over the past two decades in frequent live performance. Amelia's previous recordings include two albums of traditional Irish music as part of the band Sheltering Sky (Keeping Watch Upon the Stars and Long Night's Journey) and more recently in 2013 an excursion into shoegazey dream-pop (Blush) with SF trance electronica outfit Falling You. Significantly, it was in March of that same year that Amelia released her first solo project, Transplants: From the Old World to the New, a very special personal collection of songs (many from the Irish tradition) on the theme of ancestral immigration and identity. A collection to which her new album, Taking Flight, is both a sequel and a companion piece (albeit a very much long-awaited one).

With Taking Flight Amelia delivers a thoughtfully assembled and impeccably presented collection of songs. The programme carefully intersperses traditional (including Irish) songs with more recent compositions by latter-day exponents of the craft of songwriting, and it's the latter category that forms a slight majority this time round; writers include Anaïs Mitchell, Jez Lowe, Roger Bryant and David Francey. All the songs chosen are somehow linked either by the literal imagery or the metaphorical implications of the album title. Optimism in the face of adversity, taking comfort and solace in the processes of life and the decisions made, making the best out of bad situations, cementing the friendships that carry us through. Amelia's keen awareness of connections and possibilities arising from unfavourable scenarios is especially evidenced on her powerful account of Hunting The Wren, Ian Lynch's cathartic allegory.

Figuring large in the mix too is our concern for nature and the collective loss of wild places (The Wood Thrush's Song by Laurie Lewis is a pertinent and prescient choice here) and the joy that takes flight in our hearts when hearing birdsong and observing or experiencing the natural world (Westlin Winds, Red-winged Blackbird, Lark In The Clear Air). All of the above sub-themes are cleverly brought together in Amelia's own composition, the disc's title song, which she describes as "a prayer, a spell, a song of gathering, of solidarity, hope, and intention for community and our collective ability to transmute fear and despair into bravery and connection" - all in the space of just over two minutes, and sung in lovingly crafted, contoured acappella (with gorgeous harmonies by Christa Burch, Marla Fibich and Ray Frank).

The pure enchantment of Amelia's vocal lyricism is complemented by her well-developed sense of purpose and direction, the hallmark of a true storyteller in song. For instance, she has a most fetching way with The King Of Ballyhooley, where her accompanying musicians provide the ideal foil for her delicate, tripping enunciation. Indeed, the instrumental backings throughout the album are brilliantly judged, finely textured and deftly scored, gentle yet abundantly characterful. It might be thought at first that Amelia's light touch flatters to deceive, in artfully concealing the gravitas that's provided by her accomplishment and commitment and highlighting those comparable qualities in her fellow-musicians Richard Mandel (guitar, bouzouki, banjo), Ray Frank (guitar, banjo), Maureen Brennan (Celtic harp), David Brewer (bodhrán, whistles) and Rebecca Richman (fiddle, concertina). Production (shared between Ray Frank and Amelia herself) and engineering (by Steve O'Neill at Foxtail) are impeccable. And the constant beauty of the sound-picture is enhanced and matched by the exceedingly attractive album booklet, which includes wonderful bird paintings by Amelia herself as well as full lyrics and admirably informative song notes.

Indeed, even before placing the disc in the player one might almost be tempted to venture the opinion that the CD is worth the price of admission for its artwork alone - a statement which will most assuredly be revised before its first track, Amelia's plaintive rendition of The Old Churchyard, is far underway. A really excellent CD - and easily available chez Bandcamp.

David Kidman

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