Navigator Rec.
Mary Hampton : My Mother's Children (UK,2008)****°
I heard already how the new official release of Mary Hampton has received good reviews and attention. I remember some efforts, supporting artists like this, -I ordered her cdrs twice-, which lead to no other cooperative efforts or appreciations. -I don’t care if such things happen once in a while, but the last couple of weeks it is everybody who makes any attempt of real promises nothing happens, and, all the appointments made in Belgium weren’t taken seriously or bothered about, so that I began to really wonder if it still makes sense in making such efforts and sacrifices in my life to make all this possible, supported by my wish to change something in the world, all interests in becoming so seems to die out again, while any forms of cooperative energy becomes more and more non existant and except for a lonely reader, I once more began to wonder if it’s really worth trying so hard.- At the few gigs and meetings that I have experienced lately, I see people standing there like zombies in their own energy. I could not reach them. The times of today are so incredibly strange for any sort of growing evolutions of sensitivity, of cooperative energies, or of consciousness. And every source that could possibly do so seems to be taken over quickly. In the end nobody seems to really care or to communicate outside a self-confirmation goal of their own vagueness of being or do more than filling up a hole. I myself feel I am bombarded into a hobbyist on my own.
With the most talented, like Mary Hampton, people like her are rarities in talent with their own lonely tops that flourishes in an underground nature which still survives through all occasions of even vaguely so, direct open hearted conditions, to perform.
According to Mary Hampton it are especially little kids today who are appreciated much more easyly for their open nature : “you are loved because you’re young” the words of her first song penetrate painfully. “Free Grace” is in a more traditional English folk style (singing / picking / melody), despite being a self-penned song. From the same tradition, with strong emotionality, and an additional double bass/violin/mandolin arrangement, is “honey”, a personal dark love story with poetic words to express this. Even more magical and mythical her words sound on “concerning a frozen sparrow”, expressed like a thrilling drama, on nature. What is the dead of a tree to people? I read lately how a Croatian old man killed himself after his favourite, over hundred year old, oak was torn down for building a new road. How many trees can held their lives between men more than 300 years I wonder? “Ballad of the Talking Dog” has a beautiful hand clap and voice arrangement worthy of mention. On “Pygmalian” her song sounds, like in a fairytale troubadour song, as if being in a supernatural state as Sleeping Beauty singing through her (surrounding) thorns. Again different, is “Meanwhile” with Bar(-)oque-like (bar-) piano and talking on the background, before another magic moment, with voice and bowed double bass makes a sort of new folk version of a Purcell-like nature, a story on stage, almost like a (opera or) tale, sung with once more, penetrating words as if in a tension of deathly danger, with sound and wonder, words and song. The picked “Island” song again has certain deeper UK English folk roots, but with a deeper metaphysical nature of consciousness : beautifully sung. From “Exeunt” Ii should mention the beautiful acoustic folk chamber-arrangements. The last song with piano and its crackles is somewhat presented like a song from the 20s/30s. Another new classic from this gifted lady.
