Reviews

Mills & Farrell
Album: Crooked Path
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: https://millsandfarrell.com/

It's one of life's personal delights to be reviewing this new album from Janet Mills and David Farrell, formerly The Strange Valentines, but now firmly Mills & Farrell following a conversion that coincided with their move to Newcastle from Nova Scotia. I always love it when an artist, duo, or band emerges from behind a pseudonym to confidently step forward with a sound they've been working on for years. "Crooked Path" is one such emergence, and a potted history about these two might help listeners to see some of its underlying influences.

David is originally from Newcastle upon Tyne but moved to Australia when he was young, and followed that up with a global circumnavigation that landed him in Nova Scotia. There, he met fellow microbiologist Janet, both experienced and respected in their profession, which seemed to mean little or nothing when the original Covid pandemic was first rearing its ugly head. Downcast and disillusioned at the dismissal of their knowledge, and passion for their professional lives, at least they had the music.

I can't recall exactly when I first encountered Mills & Farrell, but it was probably around the time they were doing a tour of Nova Scotian Village Halls, highlighting their history, the people who still ran the buildings and the communities in which they were based. It was fascinating, and strangely empowering - all at a time when the world was re-emerging from behind the four walls of the pandemic. So this duo were always going to have a message or two to deliver, in their own kind and very human way, and since they moved together to Newcastle a year or so ago, they've been delighting folk clubs, singers nights and open mic sessions around Northumberland.

Both are excellent musicians, and their styles complement each other, just as do their voices. A perfect partnership in music and in life. "See The Stars" tells a little of the transformation from city to rural life, and here in Northumberland they're never too far away from both. It's fabulous to have them nearby, to have played some music with them, and had the pleasure of taking them to Lindisfarne and some of the beaches around here while they stopped in Berwick before they finally settled.

This gently paced album continues with "Rainy Season", and what hits you straight away is the quality of the playing, which yes, they're able to reproduce live. Indeed, this album was recorded live with minimal production, so what you hear is essentially a Mills & Farrell live show. Initially I thought this second song referred back to a kind of cabin fever they had in bad weather back in Nova Scotia, but that's juxtaposed with its real message, which uses "Rainy Season" to describe the state of the world, and the privations of people who are either being pushed out of their homes or having to endure the fear that invasion and war inevitably cause. The clever technique of using natural imagery as a backdrop for the messages behind their songs helps to reset our vision of how it all should be. In "Mayfly", they explore how it is to be such a beautiful insect living just one day on this fragile planet of ours: a reminder of how we should live our lives to the full and to the best we can.

"Emily" is a kind of tribute to Janet's mother, the special quality of music and how it can help us see light in the dark. Again, the song uses natural imagery to its best effect. "The Drink" demonstrates how far Janet's voice has come in the years I've known them. In this song, possibly my standout from an excellent album, both vocals shine but with the quality of the lead standing high above. I'd be really interested to know if any of David's guitar work on the album is played on his 'travel guitar', which packs away into his rucksack!

The title track "Crooked Path" picks up the pace a little with some nicely palm-muted guitar. Life is rarely an easy road, and when it appears to be we should make the most of it. This very fine, personal song makes reference to the journey each of these two had before arriving at their own version of an 'easy road', closing on a beautiful, thoughtful, acapella note. "Maggie" is, on the face of it, a song about magpies, and includes one of the album's finest lines: "surely the world has some colours left in it yet", thus alluding to its wider meaning.

The title "Lifeboat" is a nice nod to one of our most vital coastal services. Here Mills & Farrell take inspiration from the courage of the rescuers to say to those in need of support and 'rescuing' that help is never far away. It's a message that comes from two people who've been there, and who now travel that much easier road. "Ramona" takes on a bluesy mood, and is another one of my personal standouts. It's the tragic story of a young couple whose romantic boat trip on a British Columbia lake was hit by a storm, in which the man lost his life. Ramona survived five hours of trying to hold on to him, and a further nine before being rescued. The fragility of life.

Appropriately, the final song is "So Long", a song for the earth. It imagines a point at which humans may have to vacate their own planet for a safer haven somewhere else in the Universe. If we don't look after what we have, what future for our children and grandchildren, and theirs? We are all "Mayflies".

Back in October 2023, Janet and David braved a 'named storm' to return to Berwick by train from Edinburgh just to help me out with a launch event here in Berwick. These are special people with a wonderful collective talent, and they're launching their new album on 28th March at The White Room Music Café in Stanley, Co. Durham. Sadly, we're on holiday farther north at that time. This review of Mills & Farrell's music is both genuine and heartfelt, but as things have turned out, at least I'm able to use it partly as payback for their kindness.

Enjoy this excellent album. It won't be released on either Spotify or Amazon, and you can find Mills & Farrell's music at https://millsandfarrell.bandcamp.com/ where "Crooked Path" will soon follow.

John Reed

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