Head Above The Water. Brigid Mae Power

Head above the water can be seen as positive but also as desperate. The former is surviving easily, the latter is barely alive and only inches away from drowning. So how does the album with this title fare?

Brigid Mae Power is a new name to me, as far as I'm aware. The music on her album ranges between folk as played in the U.K. around 1970 and a dreamy kind of pop music with it's influences rooted soundly in past decades. The result is an album that softly murmurs forward, like a small brook in a forest does. Nothing wild, softly flowing. Ideal for several occasions, totally wrong for others. There's no middle way here.

When I get into the mood of Head Above The Water I notice the warmth many of the songs hold. They have been constructed in a careful and loving way. Together with Alisdair Roberts and Peter Broderick, Power produced a record that totally befits her music. From the soft rhythm to the soothing organ, it all weaves itself around the acoustic guitar on which many of the songs may have been composed by Brigid May Power.

Her voice could be an acquired taste for some as it contains a mild form of shrillness. For me there is no issue on most days. Take 'I Was Named After You'. The song starts out as mainly Brigid May Power singing and her guitar. Slowly but surely the song flashes out more and more, reminding me a lot of how this works in '40.000 Headmen' on Traffic's live album, 'Welcome To The Canteen'. Not in the least because of the flute played by Selah Broderick. The voice is extremely prominent in the first half of the song, singing in a folk tradition with long held notes. So if you pass this test you're alright for this album and can start to relax and enjoy all that is going on.

There's more reminding me of 'Welcome To The Canteen's slower songs. It is the whole mood and pace of Head Above The Water. Take the way conga's are used. This gives the album a specific sound. One that is familiar and pleasant to listen to.

So summing up, that brings me to the conclusion that Brigid Mae Power's head is soundly above the water. It's only me almost drowning on some days when I'm not in the mood for her slow but surely moving music and am in need of something (far more) solid.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Head Above The Water here:

https://brigidmaepower.bandcamp.com/


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g