Hattie Briggs - Turn On the Lights

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 23 / 12 / 2015

Label: Wise Dog Records
Format: Download

intro

One of our best singer/songwriters Hattie Briggs ends a successful year with a Christmas single which captures the spirit of the season beautifully

In April of this year Stroud-based singer/songwriter Hattie Briggs released her debut album, ‘Red & Gold’ and, although already having been nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2014, this truly independent artist displayed through the album’s ten songs that there was so much more to her music than the folk tag suggested. While there was no denying that her main influence was in the folk music genre and Hattie’s pure, crystal clear vocals brought back memories of the golden circle of female folk singers, it was obvious that her musical vision was far from just trying to recreate sounds from the past. Since the release of ‘Red & Gold’, which, without a doubt, is one of the best albums of 2015, Hattie has toured the UK and Holland, released a re-recorded version of ‘Tilly’s Song’ from her ‘My Shepherd’s Hut’ EP and now, just in time for the festive season, has issued ‘Turn On the Lights’ her first Christmas single. There are a whole bunch of songs that capture the spirit of Christmas perfectly, songs that just have to be heard each December; songs that are Christmas. Every genre has it’s own Christmas classics but the sad thing is that the best ones convey that Christmas feeling so well that hearing them at any other time of year is just something that most people avoid. A couple of fairly recent exceptions are ‘When the Thames Froze’ by Smith & Burrows and Anny Celsi’s ‘Christmas in the Pines’ which, although obviously seasonal offerings, can be appreciated and enjoyed at any time of the year. Hattie’s ‘Turn On the Lights’, which is available as a download, and a limited CD single, is another to be added to that list of Christmas songs that can and should be played all year. The warm, atmospheric glow that the song conveys will, of course, conjure up images of the festive season no matter what the time of year and, while the rich yet sympathetic production that Peter Waterman once again brings to Hattie’s song is drenched in that Christmas spirit, Hattie’s exceptional vocals make this a song that is just too good to listen to a few weeks at the end of each year. Longing to be home for Christmas, reunited with loved ones and family, is a common theme for festive songs and Peter Waterman and Hattie have included all the usual trimmings; a beautiful choir arrangement by Asha McCarthy, the London Heritage Brass leave little doubt as to what Christmas sounds like to any Englishman while guitarist Henry Fraser (whose ‘Quickly’ EP from a few years back is still available and should appeal to those who relate to Hattie’s music) once again lends his skills to bring out the best in Hattie’s songs. But while ‘Turn On the Lights’ has one of Hattie’s by now expected irresistible melodies and her lyrics capture the hope of the season perfectly (they are going to bring a tear to the eyes of many of those who, despite their best efforts can’t be ‘home’ this Christmas), Hattie is an artist who can capture so eloquently the thoughts of her listeners, and it still is her vocal performance that makes the song. This magazine has mentioned before that choosing Waterman as producer was an inspired move. He obviously knows how to bring out the best in Hattie’s music and surrounding herself with musicians who obviously understand her vision also helps shape Hattie’s sound; it all flows so naturally around her voice, but strip all that away and you’re still left with one of the most emotive, pure and appealing voices that has ever emerged from the UK. ‘Turn On the Lights’ is one Christmas song that will be played not just every December but many times throughout all seasons, while it captures that warm Christmas glow so effortlessly the appeal is so great that it demands to be enjoyed for more than a few weeks each year. There’s just one puzzling thing about the direction that the music Hattie Briggs has been developing is taking; while she seems to be moving away from the folk music that informed her earlier work and is introducing not just more of a pop element into her music but expanding it in other ways too, Hattie’s music and performance has the listener thinking more and more of Joni Mitchell as we get more familiar with Hattie’s work. While the music may not be similar at times to Joni’s, from what Hattie Briggs has achieved in a very short time her talent so obviously is.

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