(3 / 5)
We all like before and after contrasts, don’t we? Such as home renovations, vintage car restoration or even major weight loss…
Taking lots of photographs and maybe video footage, before during and after the project to show how that property, vehicle or body looked like prior to getting to grips with the huge task ahead.
Me. I like hearing songs from songwriters and artists stripped right back to voice and piano, or just voice and guitar and nothing else, as a demo of that particular song or songs. Before that song or songs is/are taken into the studio with other musicians to fill out the sound.
Case in point; British singer-songwriter Saskia Griffiths-Moore, a rising star of the UK folk scene who releases her third studio album “Night And Day” today. Four of the songs on the new album were on an EP released in June 2016. “Joy Of Defeat”, “Gone”, “In Time” and the album’s title cut, “Night And Day” were all on the EP, but those versions were solely vocal and acoustic guitar.
The album versions are fully produced and sound 100 times better than the stripped back versions from 16 months ago. All four songs worthy of the TLC invested in the new versions. The album delivers 11 songs penned by Saskia, opening with “All For You” and closing proceedings with “Wild Mountain Thyme”.
The record attributed to Saskia, but described as “The new collaboration album from Saskia Griffiths-Moore.” The PR blurb adding that this is a, “new acoustic super group”. She is joined by an array of multi award-winning musicians.
The 24-year-old singer-songwriter, assembled a crack team around her to make this very pleasant album. Produced by Gareth Young, who has worked with pop stars The Sugababes and Dannii Minogue. Players across the record are Ciaran Algar on fiddle, who is a BBC Radio 2 Folk & Horizon award winner. Lukas Drinkwater on bass, who has payed with Seth Lakeman, The Levellers and Emily Barker.
Guitarist Jack Cookson, who was a BBC Radio 2 Young Folk award finalist. Evan Carson on drums, who has worked with Sam Kelly and Seth Lakeman and he has won a PROG award.
Recorded in Cornwall; material she labels as “Anglicana”, a roots inspired alt-folk fusion of acoustic meets pop. Maybe a slight hint of country at tomes too. The songs explore themes of light and dark, love and loss, and joy in defeat, and revolves around her title track, which expresses Saskia’s vision of unity between people through love. Her pure tone and crystal clear diction, a perfect fit for this material.
Crowdfunded by Saskia’s fans, raising £8000 in total and achieving her goal of £3000 within just 10 hours of launching. Saskia has also teamed up with Word Forest to make this album Carbon Neutral, by offsetting through planting trees.
Having left school with not much more than a GCSE in Astronomy, Saskia went into alternative therapy and established a Harley Street practice in London. She quit to travel and write music; honing her craft busking on the streets, gigging and touring, gaining regular BBC radio airplay, festival performances and Arts Council supported national tours.
By Sally Fox
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’ (3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’
(4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
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