Farrell Spence: Song for the Sea (CD on Farrell Spence)

Band: Farrell Spence
Label: Farrell Spence
Title: Song for the Sea

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Band:Farrell Spence
Title:Song for the Sea
Reviewed By:Malcolm Carter
Date Published:08/01/2012

Label:Farrell Spence
Format:CD
Release Year:2011
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Canadian Farrell Spence caused quite a stir with her debut album, ‘A Town Called Hell’, a few years ago. There were comparisons to Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris which were not only expected but accurate for the most part, but it was obvious that Farrell also had a voice of her own and that one day those associations would cease as more people heard her music.

While there are still traces of early Emmylou spread through ‘Song for the Sea’, this is the album where Farrell really does display what a stunning vocalist she is and that she really is in a class of her own. Farrell’s vocals, often double-tracked, make you stop whatever you are doing to take in that beautiful sound that is floating out of the speakers. As if that was not enough, the sparse arrangements and instrumentation of the songs all add to the atmosphere created to make ‘Song for the Sea’ an even stronger collection of songs than ‘A Town Called Hell’.

Largely written during Farrell’s time in Ireland the album was actually recorded in a hotel room in Rome, but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a collection of lo-fi and badly recorded songs. The absence of drums is not something that the listener immediately notices and, while retaining the sparse, organic sound of her debut album for this latest collection, it is a remarkably full sound that eventually emerges. Of course when the main instrument is Farrell’s voice, double-tracked or not, full of warmth and emotion, one can’t helped but be drawn into these songs.

Of the nine songs (the opening ‘Intro’ is just that, a distant fog horn and waves lapping) five are Farrell Spence originals, and it is telling that even though one of the covers here is Nick Lowe’s ‘The Beast in Me’ it is those originals that impress the most.

The two traditional songs, ‘I Never Will Marry’ and ‘Wayfaring Stranger’, have, let’s face it, been covered so many times by so many artists that I, for one, wasn’t particularly bothered if I had never heard another version of either song for as long as I live. So it is with more than a little surprise that Farrell actually manages to add something new to ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ after all these years and all those versions. It is not only Farrell’s vocals which add to the eerie atmosphere created here. The guitar work courtesy of Francesco Forni (who adds so much to the textures and images created on ‘Song for the Sea’), is simply stunning and makes this age-old song interesting once more.

Farrell’s version of ‘I Never Will Marry’ is also worthy of a special mention. After reigniting interest in ‘Wayfaring Stranger’, I felt it unlikely that Farrell could add anything new to another traditional tune. While it’s extremely unlikely that Farrell is the only artist to ever approach the song a cappella, in doing so she showcases once again what an exceptional singer she is. Farrell’s performance here is breathtaking. That she has taken two traditional songs and made them not just essential listening but interesting once more just reinforces the fact that here is not just a singer of exceptional talent, but an artist who can inject her own identity into almost any song.

In keeping with ‘A Town Called Hell’ Farrell’s mother, Barbara Spence, wrote one of the songs on this latest collection. ‘Good Morning Bird’ lends a more laid-back feel to the album than those composed by Farrell. It is the perfect lazy Sunday morning song we would all like to slowly rise to.

But for all that it’s those five originals that are worth the price of the album alone. The title song is a stark yet beautiful piece of music which flows effortlessly, and, like all of Farrell’s work, here floats on a melody that is inviting and instantly likeable.

But just now it’s ‘Tian Put the Tay On’ and ‘You Can Sleep on My Floor’ which are fighting it out to be played over and over. At a push, due to opening lines and Farrell’s emotive vocals, it is the latter that’s winning but it’s likely to change again soon. It can’t be stressed enough just how talented Farrell is vocally. She really does deserve to be heard.

So despite all the praise lavished on ‘A Town Called Hell’, Farrell Spence has produced, in a hotel room in Rome, a more than worthy follow-up that, truthfully, is even better than her debut.

Track Listing:

01) Intro (feat. Foley)
02) Song For the Sea
03) Tian Put the Tay On
04) Wayfaring Stranger
05) You Can Sleep On My Floor
06) Safe and Warm
07) The Beast In Me
08) Good Morning Bird
09) I Never Will Marry
10) Going Down the Riverside

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Atmospheric and frequently breathtaking second album, recorded in a hotel room, from Canadian singer-songwriter, Farrell Spence

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Song for the Sea - CD
Atmospheric and frequently breathtaking second album, recorded in a hotel room, from Canadian singer-songwriter, Farrell Spence

A Town Called Hell - CD
Stunning debut album from Canadian-based singer-songwriter Farrell Spence, whose songs of life on the edge are both real and completely compelling

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