Kelly Oliver
Album: This Land
Label: Folkstock
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.kellyoliver.co.uk/

With the release of "This Land", the final piece of the Kelly Oliver jigsaw slips neatly into place. There was already plenty of kudos there for her growing live reputation and previous EPs and guest appearances on compilations give hints that see was an artist that could put it all together in the studio as well, "This Land" confirms all that and more.

The first single from the album, "Diamond Girl" is a duet with the much in demand Luke Jackson, bringing together two sparkling lights of the third wave of folk to create one of those songs that lingers in the mind long after the sound has diminished without ever suffering the issue of becoming an ear worm, it simply leaves you with that sense of wonderment that may have other family members telling you to snap out of it.

Whilst folk is at the core of "This Land", there is a nod or two other parts of the acoustic spectrum, sometimes also bringing in a poppier element, sometimes a bluesier feel, particularly when Kelly gives the vocal chords a rest to remind us that she's a pretty damned fine harmonica player. For the record she's no slouch on the six string either.

I've said before there are elements of Annie Briggs in Kelly Oliver's sound, but she is very much her own person with her own style, an artist that loves and respects the history of her music and is inspired to use that to keep it fresh and new, rather than a copy, which no matter how good it is, is ultimately still a copy. That doesn't mean that you can't cover songs, it means that you make them your own, put your own spin on it and when you listen to Kelly's interpretation of "Caledonia" you appreciate what a fine art that really is.

"This Land" is an album of crisp lines, there is a real separation of voice and instruments, you can clearly hear every note, every harmonic and yet they all pull together to create a whole that you don't get when the instruments have that more blended quality. It means that the arrangements are not only fresh, but you can almost feel the creative process bubbling beneath.

I've always been of the belief that a folk album should be a history lesson, a geography lesson and death or two. Ideally there might also be a bit of politics in the mix, both on a personal level and wider level, "This Land" reflects that in song terms, it's an almanac not a diary.

Like the jigsaw I alluded to in the opening paragraph, Kelly Oliver and "This Land" is a complex proposition and yet it all pulls together into a wonderful picture, that draws on the broad canvas of life, it's inspiring in its own right and a damned fine listen time and time again.

Neil King