Ange Hardy
Album: The Lament Of The Black Sheep
Label: Story
Tracks: 14
Website: http://www.angehardy.com

I've been reviewing albums for well over twenty five years and this type of review still scares the hell out of me. Album's like Ange Hardy's "The Lament Of The Black Sheep" are a genuinely once in a blue moon album and how do you review that without, a: coming across like a gushing imbecile or b: over egging the pudding? I guess by sticking to the facts, but apologies if my enthusiasm gets the better of me, I have tried holding back on this review a bit, but every time I hear it I just want to shout its praises, quite simply it's an album that starts off on a high and just keeps growing.

"The Lament Of The Black Sheep" is an album that references folk heroes old and new, whilst at all times remaining a firmly Ange Hardy cut. Part of the reason for that is Ange's absolutely incredible voice which sounds as if were created for folk music. Sweet and honeyed when it needs to be hard and hitting as appropriate, constantly delivering a quality narrative, that not only captures the story, but also the elemental quality.

Whilst called "The Lament Of The Black Sheep" and graced with a sleeve and booklet that draws extensively on her family archive of farming and provided inspiration for a number of songs on the album, there is also a nautical theme that runs through the album, the bizarre thing is that for the former Ange's voice has an earthy quality to it, which seems to take on a saltier spirit when referring to songs of the sea. It really adds to the character of the album.

It's an album that feels very traditional, it is a folk album in the accepted sense, but it's also an album that adds fourteen brand new songs to that canon with Ange penning all of the songs on the album. It also fulfils the Fatea folk criteria of being a history lesson, a geography lesson and a murder or two, with one of the protagonists being that most dangerous of beings, the mild mannered librarian.

This is also an album that has light and grey, there is humour in the album, "The Woolgatherer" is a song that I feel is destined to become a club favourite with its tongue in cheek humour, that once again is supported by a really strong narrative and provides a break from sadder elements in the album.

There is a broader approach to the album, a use of other musicians, including James Findlay, Alex Cumming and Lukas Drinkwater, Ange's trademark looping as well as vocal only renditions. Similarly the album ranges from variations of lullabies and nursery rhymes, through to songs of life and journey and inevitable loss, something particularly poignant when there isn't a body to bury.

As many readers will know, narrative and character are what does it for me and this is an album that seems to charge both body and spirit. It's an album you can lose yourself in and similarly one that you can also find yourself in. Ange Hardy has really burst onto the scene in the last couple of years, there's a reason for that, not only is she an incredible vocalist, she is also damned fine with the pen, the result is songs that could move a statue. "The Lament Of The Black Sheep" is an album that is already timeless and I honestly can't see any reason why that would change. If a cd could become an heirloom, this would be the one.

Neil King