Thea Gilmore - Don't Stop Singing

  by Lisa Torem

published: 6 / 12 / 2011

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Review

British singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore’s new album, 'Don’t Stop Singing' pairs the lyrics of singer, Sandy Denny, with Thea’s luminescent melodies and stunning vocals. Ironically, Thea had interned at the studio of Fairport Convention – Denny was a member of this acclaimed band. Pages of unrecorded lyrics by Denny, who died in 1978, were discovered by a biographer twelve years ago, and Thea Gilmore’s name was one which repeatedly came up as an artist who could honestly co-define Denny’s imagery. Gilmore, by the age of 30, had already recorded ten albums of her own and had a voice, which could convincingly convey heartache, wonder and truth. 'Glistening Bay' is the first track. “The fickle sea I’ve always loved” is a recurring line that Gilmore sings with clarity. It is a song about revisiting a special place, and all the longings and misguided recollections that often accompany this kind of voyage. And, though Thea is capable of belting out phrases, her tone throughout this album remains tender and full of grace. The unmistakable din of accordion, played by John Kirkpatrick, once an acquaintance and session player for Denny, sets off the title song, ‘Don’t Stop Singing.’ ‘Goodnight’ is a lilting lullaby made more beautiful by gentle piano. ‘Pain in my Heart’ is laden with sombre strings and has a straight-forward message: “Love is so strange, but it had to be love that I felt for you… .” It is a scorching epiphany and a disarming, orchestral interlude that leads us to the folk-driven ballad, ‘Sailor.’ The simple verse, “Sailor boy, take me there when you go away…” “Take me far beyond the golden bay” follows. "The verses are sandwiched between rollicking rhythms and shadowy strings. ‘Song # 4’ has pretty chordal changes at the start-“A newborn sun arises, breaks the shadows of the sun/Will he come home again to me?” ‘Long Time Gone’ is mournful. Wanderlust fades, and in its place, is panic. “I’m in such a terrible state and my country’s just like me…” “I’ve been traveling ‘round the world and there’s nowhere I haven’t been.” “If I don’t make it before I die, I just ain’t gonna die.” Then, ‘Georgia’ begins. Thea sounds much like a 1960s folksinger, much like Judy Collins. “Georgia, you sleep soundly now, while autumn leaves are falling to the ground.” “Don’t Stop Singing” is a magnificent merging that serves the muses of two, distinctly different artists extremely well.

Track Listing:-

1 Glistening Bay
2 Don't Stop Singing
3 Frozen Time
4 Goodnight
5 London
6 Pain In My Heart
7 Sailor
8 Song No. 4
9 Long Time Gone
10 Georgia

Band Links:-

http://www.theagilmore.net/
https://www.facebook.com/theagilmoreof
https://twitter.com/theagilmore
https://www.instagram.com/theagilmore/
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheaGilmo

Label Links:-

http://www.islandrecords.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/islandrecordsuk/
https://www.youtube.com/user/islandrec
https://www.facebook.com/IslandRecords
https://instagram.com/islandrecordsuk/