Colum Sands
Album: Turn The Corner
Label: Spring
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.columsands.com

"Turn The Corner" is Colum Sands ninth album, which may seem a relatively small return on a thirty year plus recording career, his debut album "Unapproved Road" came out back in 81, but that ignores his additional careers as a documentary and radio presenter as well as producer.

When recording his own songs, Sands has gained a reputation for being a wordsmith that delivers his material with wit and flare and line's like, 'Half the world dying from eating too little and half from eating too much' on "Annie I Owe You" would more than bail that out, there is a real connection to the listeners. It's a song that both pokes fun at and raises issues about the new world order and does it such a way that you feel you're not being preached at.

"Turn The Corner" is an album that is predominantly delivered at walking pace. It has a lilt to that makes you think that you aren't in a hurry that you've got time to take out and listen to it properly so you do, it's a neat trick, one that's more about the journey than the final destination.

Along the way there are plenty of points of interest and a rich set of metaphor that allows you to take the songs at face value, often human interest or to take time and dig into the underlying meanings, "Two Angry Dogs" being a great example, it can be a song about two village dogs making a noise about being top dog or an analogy of Ireland, take your pick.

If you're a fan of the songwriters art, this is an album well worth checking out, Sands knows how to put an album together as well as individual songs. He comes across as a highly personable bloke who seems happy to share a beer and tune and in addition, "Turn The Corner", also features some great musicianship.

Neil King