Kelly Bayfield - Wave Machine

by Malcolm Carter

published: 20 / 3 / 2023

Label: Kelly Bayfiekd
Format: CD

Solo debut from folk singer/songwriter Kelly Bayfiel, which follows on from her album with Kev Walford, is a personal odyssey but one that will connect with many.

Review

There’s a track on the 2018 album ‘Wakin’, by Kev Walford and Kelly Bayfield titled ‘Lullaby’; it’s an absolutely captivating vocal performance by Kelly which ends all soon at well under two minutes. For ‘Wave Machine’, Kelly’s first solo album, the talented singer-songwriter revisits the song and, while it was pretty-near perfect in its original form, transforms it into a thing of rare beauty. And that’s but one of the highlights on ‘Wave Machine’. While her collaboration with Kev Walford proved that although ‘Walkin’ was seeped in the folk tradition with a little Crosby Stills & Nash and country mixed in. Classing Kelly Bayfield along with the many other female singer/songwriters in the folk genre is unfair. Many artists have been mentioned when discussing Kelly’s music but a couple come to mind more often when listening to ‘Wave Machine’ and they are Shelagh McDonald and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Not a bad starting point. Kelly has an unmistakably English singing voice but she has that talent of being able to bring to mind that classic 60’s Laurel Canyon sound while listening to her music. It’s a winning combination. The dozen songs, all written by Kelly or co-written, some with David Edward Booth who also produced and recorded the album at his studio in Suffolk are drawn from Kelly’s own experiences and feelings; family, political and environmental issues are all touched upon. In fact, these songs are so personal Kelly had initially been reluctant to release them, but we should be grateful that she did; the emotions expressed in these songs from Kelly are universal and hearing them gives us all a voice and a chance to find hope and solace. Kelly has assembled some familiar names to bring these songs to life, the sadly missed Paul Sartin, Beth Porter and Phil Beer to name just a few and the opening song, ‘Vapour Trails’ sets out Kelly’s stall perfectly. Her pure, English vocals cutting through the sympathetic musical backing. Acoustic guitar, cello and oboe all add to the mystical soundscape that accompanies many of these tracks, which play an important part in making these songs stand apart from those of many of Kelly’s contemporaries. ‘Whistling Man’, as well as showing that opening track was no fluke, shows an entirely different side to Kelly’s music. It’s classic folk-rock, driven along by pedal steel and banjo respectively (from Scott Neubert and Tony Winn) and a lovely lead guitar solo from Andy Trill. Again, the atmosphere created by the instruments and the short section of Kelly’s wordless vocals are what makes the song so special. And it gets even better; third track, ‘John Mahoney’ is one of the most personal. The song tells the tale of Kelly’s grandfather, born in 1924 and married in Germany after the war. Sounding like a traditional folk song with its harmonium and flute, it’s a highlight on an album of little gems. The refrain “John Mahoney, won’t you please come home?” is doubly touching, calling him home from the war and, in later years, from the dementia which took him in 2018. The song is a work of art and worth the price of the album alone. Not a dry eye… It’s absolutely stunning. ‘Safe For Now’ follows, a song about grief, which also carries the Celtic influences of the previous song and again showcases Kelly’s outstanding, emotive vocals coupled with a memorable melody. Then it’s the new version of ‘Lullaby’; originally performed acapella on ‘Walkin’. The song was composed after the birth of Kelly’s eldest child, but here it takes on new meaning after the passing of Kelly’s husband from a brain tumour. It’s still musically sparse but even more affecting now and another highlight; you can imagine the angels… ‘Anything Less’, a song about loss, features pedal steel from Nick Zala-Webb, an up-tempo number at odds with the lyrics of “Wish I’d paid close attention to all our late night conversations in that cold and tired kitchen with the creaking panelled door,” making the listener, not for the first time, think of their own life and failings. The album closes with ‘Travelling’, a heartbreaking, personal song for her late husband, begun the day he was taken into hospital; he never came home again. With Kelly turning in one of her most emotional performances, iit leaves the wondering how Kelly managed to get through the session. One can only wonder where her next album will take us; for now ‘Wave Machine’ stands as one of the most important debut albums released for some time.

Track Listing:-

1 Vapour Trails
2 Whistling Man
3 John Mahoney
4 Safe For Now
5 Lullaby
6 Harrier From The Marsh
7 Bird Of Prey
8 Hitchhiker
9 Sing
10 Wave Machine
11 Anything Less
12 Travelling