Maturity and the great unknowns of life, encapsulated in a serene debut.
Beth Gibbons is a name that carries a huge historical legacy within the world of postmodern music, due to his long career and different projects carried out within it. From his iconic work with the legendary band Portishead, to their collaborative work that has challenged their vocal ability and their ability to adapt to different musical genres.
That being said, it's strange to think that the first solo material from an artist of this level Gibbons It may arrive 30 years after its debut, but the question that remains to be answered is, does it live up to the expectations that its legacy can create?
To answer this with a resounding yes or a resounding no would be unfair, because this material has been produced over a period of 10 years; 10 years in which ideas can undergo metamorphoses that make them reach a completely different end than expected during their gestation. What we can be sure of is that this album comes to show us one of the most honest versions of Gibbons, with a balanced and homogeneous sound line in which dark textures and a voice full of emotions become the main protagonists.
The album opens with “Tell Me Who You Are Today”, a track which establishes the personality of the album from the beginning by starting with a slow, measured rhythm that progressively adds elements to reach a dramatic ending, loaded with elements that lead the listener to enjoy an exuberant sound experience.
“Floating On A Moment”a piece that came to us as the first single from the material, exposes the talent as a lyricist of the English artist by telling us that the only thing we must remember is that we have to enjoy the present and the moments that it presents, without living in the past and without suffering for the uncertain future. A detail that we liked about this single, was the use of children's voices to complement the voice of Beth and the concept of the passage of time.
The material continues with “Burden Of Life” , “Lost Changes” and “Rewind” three pieces with which Gibbons expresses his feelings about life and how heavy it is, as well as the constant changes that it undergoes over time. In these tracksthe artist's voice is accompanied at different moments by violins that greatly complement her voice and give a touch of drama to her proposal, but in the case of “Rewind” We have one of the tracks which is the most proposed on the album, with a sound that is closer to ambient and with a more alarming tone of voice.
In this way we arrive at “Reaching Out” the second promotional single from the material in which the artist increases the beats and integrates wind instruments that break the slow rhythm of the first half, to delight us with sustained notes that can amaze anyone.
Finally “For Sale”, “Beyond The Sun” and “Whispering Love”, They close this material and give continuity to the folk personality with ambient textures that is worked on throughout the material, always with a good handling of the different elements that build an orchestral sound, by presenting soft percussion, constant string instruments and serene winds that, together, give us a glimpse into the life of Beth Gibbons.
A good debut that makes us reflect, while showing us the spirit of an artist with a legendary career, who still has much to explore and express within her art.
