Maurice Hope – September 28, 2016 at 02:37PM
Tags:_AMERICANA
Welsh vocalist, Georgia Ruth produces a folk pop sound cultivated in strains of her homeland. Her debut release in 2013, Welsh Music Prize winner Week Of Pines was not only a bilingual record, but a favourite outside her locality. The Guardian had Ruth down as one of the British folk discoveries of the year, quite an honour due to the newspaper’s history.
Fossil Scale has a lot of large productions; keyboards, layers of recorders, synths and guitars plus an Indian stringed instrument she has discovered called the Sarangi (performed by James Yorkston collaborator Suhail Yusuf Khan) without smothering her vocals, rather enhance them. Ruth opens impressively with “Doldrums”, one of two songs that have her school friend Meilyr Jones lend sweet harmony vocals. Other songs of note include the title track “Fossil Scale”, it’s a hooky piece awash in intelligent passages of music to aid her beautiful vocals. The closing of the song has Ruth revert to a more traditional style and she sounds good doing this.
Talking of traditional music, Ruth utilises Khan’s prowess on the “China” in engaging fashion. Doesn’t over play it as she allows just sufficient for the listener to thirst for more.“When I Was Blue” shows off her pretty, wistful vocals beautifully, and though the sound and tempo of the album tends to repeat itself Ruth’s voice remains sharp and the focus of attention.
“The Bodies” offers something different, more poppy. “Ice Age” has innovative electronic sounds take over, and with a likewise arty feel you have percussion driven “Supermoon”.
“Sylvia” with electric guitar and graceful air has to be my choice track. Rich in understated charm the bilingual piece allows Ruth greater space than at any other time. Beautiful!
Other tracks include dreamy ode “Good Milk”; and something of a spare though no finer “Grand Tour”. It’s not on the level of the novel and pretty piano escorted ballad “China”. Overall the album is well arranged, beautiful playing and Ruth has a superb voice, but she needs to realize less can mean more.
Maurice Hope
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