I’m afraid this review must start with a note of confession. I have had this album in my CD player, on my iPod, sat on my desk since late October and only now, at the end of December, do I find myself finally writing about it as I had agreed. Procrastination in response to a writing task is nothing new or unique, I’d much rather be pointing a camera at someone than having to critically evaluate their music. In this case, however, lack of response was related to love bordering on obsession. In my defense, at least there is no higher inferred recommendation.
A young Thea Gilmore,...
There’s seemingly no better way to salute the life of a legend than to rerecord his John Wesley Harding album and perform it live on his 70th birthday. I’ll confess, before tonight I’ve never embraced Dylan as readily as I should, whilst I’d mark him out as an amazing song writer and lyricist, his voice has always been more cumbersome than I’d like. Combine then his poetic work, with a powerful female vocalist and the standing ovation Thea receives at the end of the set, is somewhat preemptive.
The harmonica driven John Wesley Harding leads into As I Went Out One Morning, fuelled by...
Getting past a second album is a pretty big achievement in the current music industry, yet Thea Gilmore surpassed this feat years ago and has just hit double figures with the release of her tenth album: Murphy’s Heart.
Having never been one to throw herself into the mainstream, Gilmore has now gotten her first single from the album, You’re The Radio, A-listed on Radio 2. She’s grateful for the attention and the song itself is very deserving of it; the lyrics speak volumes with many parallels being drawn, climaxing with the simplistic, yet powerful, ‘I’m the song, you’re the...
On home turf there was little question that Thea was going to be well received, nevertheless in a set which sandwiched old classics between an abundance of new songs, she proved that even after ten albums she hasn’t lost her punch. It’s fair to say that her poetical nature is what propels the set forward, whilst musically the arrangements are tight and sensitive, it is Thea’s ability to weave lyrical magic throughout each song that brings her performance to life.
She opens with a stripped back version of Saviours And All, which feels almost like a kick back at her recent radio play but...
Following the release of her tenth studio album Murphy’s Heart, Thea Gilmore spoke to More Than The Music about the record industry and keeping it fresh.
More Than The Music: You’ve continuously turned down major record contracts. Was this is conscious decision from the outset of your career or something that came about as you learnt more about the industry?
Thea Gilmore: Youthful arrogance really… I just didn’t understand why I would do the things that were being asked of me. Then came the learning.. that my arrogance had been right all along!
MTTM: Murphy’s Heart is...
Protest singer Thea Gilmore is folk for the 21st Century. Forget rekindled traditional numbers filled with tales of love and life, Thea prefers full-feist modern songs abounding in lyrical punches. Nevertheless, in the midst of recording her next album, it’s clear her edges are beginning to round. Mid set she teases that the next offering will be ‘Thea Gilmore: The love album’ and if the new songs played to an exclusive Andover audience are anything to go by, it might not be that much of a joke.
More stripped back in feel, the mellowed out ponderings of ‘how the love gets in’ fill...
