And then there was one. When the first Winter Mountain album came out in 2013 the band were a duo. Following the departure of Irishman Marty Smyth this second album sees Cornwall native Joe Francis responsible for the songs, the vocals and most of the instruments. He also produced the album. And beautifully produced it is;

'I Swear I Flew' is a collection of catchy songs with really varied instrumentation: Harmonica, piano, organ and mandolin are all used sparingly and effectively. Folk rock can often sound quite bland and generic, with too many instruments bashing away at the same time, but Winter Mountain manage to avoid this. The sound is crisp and clear. The band moniker is appropriate as there is a wintery feel about this music.

Joe Francis has a sympathetic voice, sometimes reminiscent of Brian Fallon, sometimes John Waite, but most often he sounds like a poppier Jon Boden, which is not a a bad thing at all. Seth Lakeman adds some very nice fiddle parts and guests on bouzouki and background vocals (as per info; I would not have picked out his voice).

Opener 'Platinum and gold' is the standout track. It starts as if heard on a transistor radio; then someone finds a dial and the volume goes up. This is a neat effect. Ballad 'The Morning Bell' is good too; a pretty melody with folky acoustic guitar. Joe's influences come through in the music: 'Things That I've Done Wrong' sounds like Neil Young. The intro of 'Fireworks Night' is so much like 'Thunder Road' that Bruce Springsteen could sue. There are echoes of U2 as well.

Lyrical content is an area for improvement. There is an overload of weather, seasons, mountains and rivers, earth and sky, moon and stars; things burning, glowing, sparkling ("Heaven like a lemon tree grows her diamonds in the sky"). Lots of imagery, but what is it all about? You get the sense that this is a break-up album of sorts. The press release says that the album is a musical diary covering recent events in Joe's life.

'Banba's Crown' is named after Ireland's most northernly building on the mainland, at Malin Head in county Donegal. Joe Francis has spent time in this beautiful part of Ireland while working on his music. Banba was the mythological patron goddess of Ireland. I have visited this spot and it is nice to be reminded of it, however in this song again we get images rather than substance.

Winter Mountain have an impressive touring record, having played support to Guy Garvey, Rosanna Cash, Sara Watkins, Seth Lakeman and Cara Dillon among others. Live seems to be where Winter Mountain really do well and this new album will be a welcome addition to the merch tables.

Helen

7/11

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