Reviews
Grasta Album: Golden Light
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 13
Website: https://www.gusglynn.com/graacutesta.html
Grásta's debut Golden Light arrives with the kind of warmth, immediacy, and lived in musical camaraderie that folk listeners cherish. You can hear, in every bar, that this was never meant to be a sterile studio artefact. What began as Gus Glynn's solo venture, new songs intertwined with revitalised traditional pieces, quickly blossomed into something richer once percussionist and multi instrumentalist Mark Woolley stepped in. The chemistry was instant, and crucially, it stayed audible. Their decision to keep the recording process predominantly live gives the album its defining character: organic, playful, and full of the spontaneous sparks that only arise when musicians genuinely enjoy each other's company.
Woolley's instinct to bring in Ian Jones for flute and melodeon, and Ben Robertson for fiddle and finger style guitar, proves inspired. The ensemble feels balanced yet adventurous, each player adding colour without crowding the frame. Chris Lee's Babacombe studio becomes almost a fifth member, its warm acoustics and sensitive engineering preserving the band's dynamic ebb and flow.
The album's range is quietly impressive. Their take on The Galway Shawl is tender and unhurried, a respectful nod to tradition that avoids sentimentality. The Lake, by contrast, surges forward with rhythmic drive, double stopped fiddle lines give it an unexpected flourish that somehow feels perfectly at home. The closing track, Kaleidoscope, leans into bluesy introspection, its finger picked guitar offering a reflective landing after the album's broader emotional sweep.
What stands out most is the sense of promise. Grásta sound like a band already comfortable in their collective skin, yet still brimming with curiosity. Golden Light captures that rare moment when a new group realises it has found its voice. If this debut is any indication, Grásta look poised to become a quietly formidable presence on the folk circuit, given the opportunities to get this in front of an audience.
Angie Ingrams
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Fatea Showcase Sessions
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Corsair is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
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