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Album Review - Esbe’s ‘Blow the Wind Southerly´
Esbe’s latest release, ‘Blow the Wind Southerly’, is a unique and inspired album of traditional folk songs and nursery rhymes.
The whole album consists of a cappella harmony arrangements and, for an album only using voices, it manages to move through an impressive set of emotive timbres. Ranging from sweet lullaby-like renditions of traditional campfire songs, such as ‘Kumbaya’, to the darker arrangements of traditional children´s songs such as ‘Three Blind Mice’. Esbe takes the listener on a journey from the ethereal to the disturbed!
What impresses me about this album is Esbe’s talent for using stripped-back vocal harmonies to put her unique stamp on popular traditional folk songs. She really knows how to make a melody her own! The use of atmospheric ambient background sounds such as the ocean waves on ‘My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean’ also helps to bring a depth and mysterious nature to the recordings.
Overall, a fascinating listen. I’m not quite sure where I’d put it in a record shop, but there’s definitely something cinematic and serene about it. I’d also love to see how the album transfers to a live setting.
Listen to Esbe and discover more here-
Photo credit - Darren Filkins
