Beth Goudie - Wilderness

Published Thursday 5th May 2016
Beth Goudie - Wilderness
Beth Goudie - Wilderness

STYLE: Roots/Acoustic
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 159498-23591
LABEL: Independent
FORMAT: CD EP
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Ian Homer

This is the second EP from South Wales' singer/songwriter Beth (née Bullock) and follows on from 'Boat' in a similar vein of story-led pieces this time focussing on themes of life and faith before and after getting married. The collection of four songs features Beth's lovely finger-picking guitar work and starts with a mid-tempo ballad "If You Want To". Beth's lilting vocal is particularly sweet as she sings about meeting and falling in love. The second, "My Husband's Wife", has a warm, slightly swinging intro and has a folky feel which gives way to a really worshipful, heartfelt play out. The song itself, lyric-led as these all are, drops any pretense that this is anything other than an autobiographical piece. It hints at experiences prior to meeting her husband and in meeting and falling in love with Jesus first of all: "Into the darkness he shone and he said he'd been there all along/And out of the ashes I rose bearing no thought to what held me below/Into my senses he poured new feelings and I was restored." The only thing that takes the edge off it slightly is the buzzing bass strings when Beth pounds things out toward the end. "That Night At The Table" is a really intriguing story song which maybe hints at issues of addiction and co-dependency, certainly a rough patch in the main characters' relationship and drifting away from God. Redemption does come by the song's end, that being a theme in the EP as a whole. The title track talks about the desert experiences many of us experience in our journey through life and echoes the biblical story of the Israelites most especially in the refrain. There is a minor issue in the mix of this song towards the end where the guitar suddenly and momentarily pans right. Overall though this is a delightful collection of ballads that will please those who like their music pared down to a simple and raw vocal and accompaniment.

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