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5/5 Maverick Magazine
4/5 Uncut
5/5 Songlines
4/5 All Music Guide
4/5 Scotland on Sunday
4/5 The Sunday Herald
The New York Times - "A voice that's both Awestruck and Tender"
The Village Voice - “Talbot is exquisite…Bjork combined with Enya.”
If ever there was an album that delivered on the back of
early promise then the sophomore release by Heidi Talbot
and her debut for Navigator is it. You may not as yet be
carrying her name in your heart, but it's only a matter of time.
After all she comes with some pedigree that traverses the
Atlantic at least twice and she will already be familiar to
some of you as lead singer of the Irish-American girl group
Cherish The Ladies who have previously wowed audiences
at Celtic Connections and the Return To Camden festivals.
The well regarded Woman Of The House released via
Rounder did much for the band's profile over here, but now
stepping into the solo spotlight she suddenly finds herself in
demand with a host of collaborations as artists as diverse as
Radiohead's Philip Selway, John McCusker, Kris Drever and
Idlewild's Roddy Woomble all queuing up to work with her.
There will doubtless be others.
But first the album In Love And Light.
McCusker and Drever are amongst a host
of guests that make this the triumph that it is. New label
mate Boo Hewerdine produces and Neill MacColl also appears,
as do Eddi Reader and Capercaillie's Donald Shaw to name
but a few. Boo Hewerdine contributes a couple of songs and there
are also versions of Tom Wait's Time and the Tim O'Brien penned
Music Tree. Three traditional tunes also suggest her heritage
and once again refer to both sides of the Atlantic of which,
the simply performed, mournful Blackest Crow makes an
early claim as a standout.
But frankly the providence of the material becomes a
secondary concern when Heidi wraps her expressive voice
around the words. She's already drawn comparison to
Norah Jones and Mindy Smith, with
perhaps a touch of Victoria Williams or Melanie. In fact,
borrowing from The Village Voice magazine, a cross
between Bjork and Enja was suggested, which is neither as
daft nor scary as it sounds.
Growing up in the rural village of Kill, Co. Kildare, Talbot
sang in the church choir, meanwhile absorbing the vibrant
array of music that filled the family home. The middle of
nine children, Heidi listened to whatever was playing in the
house. Nana Mouskouri and Dolly Parton would be coming
from one direction, but then there'd be
Guns'n'Roses and the Pogues coming from
another.
At sixteen, Talbot enrolled at Dublin's
celebrated Bel Canto singing school, studying
under its founder and director Frank
Merriman - „the best teacher in the universe,“
according to Sinead O'Connor, another
former student. Adapting the classical Bel
Canto technique, mainly associated with
opera singers like Maria Callas, for vocalists of
any style, Merriman's method focuses on
using the voice as naturally as possible to communicate a
song's narrative elements, teaching that certainly tells in
Talbot's intuitive, eloquent phrasing.
Perhaps the pivotal juncture of Talbot's early career, though,
was when she moved to New York aged eighteen - despite
her total lack of any defined plan in doing so. And yet,
thanks to a hefty dollop of good fortune - within three days
she had landed a job, singing in a wedding band. After 18
months on the circuit, Talbot moved into Queens where she
spent several years working the Big Apple's bars and clubs.
It was in the city's thriving Irish musical community that a
chance meeting with Cherish the Ladies' founder and front
woman Joanie Madden took place. Talbot asked her to play
on a demo she was recording and the pair hit it off. Shortly
afterwards, during 2002, Madden invited Talbot to join the
band as replacement for the recently departed lead singer
Deidre Connolly. Suddenly Hiedi moved from playing small
venues, pubs and bars to 2000 seaters. She overcame her
initial shyness with help and support from Joanie and soon
grew into the role.
It proved a great experience but after moving back to
Ireland in 2005 and having recently relocated again to
Edinburgh, Talbot decided that 2007 would be her last year
with the band and a new chapter unfolds.
The sound of In Love And Light provides a great tapestry for
Heidi to weave her magic, intoxicating us with these
carefully chosen tales. Subtle use of strings, backing vocals
and changes of instrumental timbre keep things fresh and
interesting, but there is no doubting the star of the show is
Heidi herself. Like I said at the top it's just a matter of time.
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