[Read in full on NHAM]
SPACE by me:she
Review by @ethicalrevolution
“SPACE is a beautiful piece of art.” -That was the immediate reaction I shared with me:she upon hearing the album for the first time. To which Michelle Dumond replied, “It really was a life-long art therapy project!”
Dumond is the amazingly soulful and seductive vocalist behind me:she, where she is accompanied by maestros of bass, cello, sax, clarinet, drums, congas, guitars and keys.
★ S P A C E ★ begins with a track whose sound and lyrics are often in stark contrast with one another. Dead Inside bounces from joy to glory in its instrumentation and feel, but as the name suggests it comes from a place of despair. “I’ve been alive for a while. It made me feel dead inside”, are the opening lines.
A sultry sax accompanies bass to introduce the next track, What’s Within, before a rhythmic groove announces, ‘I am the tiger’s roar’. There are so many elements to this song from classical and jazz to middle eastern tones via flamenco guitar straight out of Andalusia. It is in fact a great snapshot of the whole album with the manner in which it incorporates a range of instruments and styles. It keeps you on your toes, unable to predict the next move, finding pleasant surprise round each corner you unexpectedly turn.
This is something me:she does so well, quite purposefully creating something truly unique,
Old Red sweeps you in to another level of consciousness. A gentle intoxication where you could be floating in the sky or sinking in the sea, swaying slowly either way. The tempo raises as the track closes perhaps delivering you back to a place of sensibility.
Who Wants Ya is so feel-good. Only me:she could deliver a feel-good song that’s about being past it/being over the hill/being too far gone! Ultimately there’s a sense that despite whatever it is that may be in-spite of you and your endeavours, there’s always a silver lining.
This theme runs through the rest of the songs in the album. There’s a great deal of positivity in tackling hardships. -You are going to be fine. …You are going to be fine!
★ S P A C E ★ has reflective and philosophical themes delivered with love, humour and a lot of care. It’s moody, it’s slick and it’s soulful. Stick this album on, turn it up and reap the pleasure it delivers. The more you listen the more you’ll hear, and the more you hear the more you’ll want to listen again, and again.
★ S P A C E ★ is set to release on March 4th.
