For the purpose of staying positive about Kirsten Adamson’s self-titled new album I will focus on the third track on the album, ‘The Impossibilities’, which I thought highly enjoyable and the penultimate, ‘Mountains’, which I thought a noble lament and was surprised to see it in the guise of pop.
The impression ‘The Impossibilities’ left me with reminded me of Alice in Wonderland; it has an imaginative structure that takes you on a journey, the conviction of the piece growing in intensity with the introduction of each new section.
The instruments are each given their space, and its tasteful production gives it a professional and authentic pop sound.
What I thought made it stand out from the rest of the album was the subtlety of the emotion it plays with, creating a mood where coyness and uncertainty meet.
‘Mountains’ on the other hand takes on inflections of American country and Scottish folk, completely abstracting it from the general sound of the other tracks on the album.
It casts Adamson’s voice in its best light, giving her the chance to demonstrate range, explore a variety of emotions – from vulnerability through broody regret to exalted lament – and giving due space to lyrical content, which here I felt was delivered with maximum sincerity.
I regret to write that whilst I found Adamson to be a talented musician with a clear vision of how she wishes to be portrayed, the album is dominated heavily by prefabricated ideas, melodies, styles and lyrics.
The two track mentioned carry a stronger identity, bringing out the best in each of the instruments, the production and Adamson’s voice; I hope that future work shows more of this character.
Words: Patrick McCafferty
