By The Moon – Alan Goins (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

There is a common misapprehension that making and releasing music is a young person’s game. Well, even if that is the case, no one has told Alan Goins who at the age of 62 has just released his debut album. And what a charmer it is. That’s not to say that the Tennessee singer hasn’t paid his dues over the years, particularly through leading the singing in church, but now he has turned his attention to his own creativity and By The Moon is the result.

It is a gentle album, one woven from tasteful acoustics and delicate vocals and sitting somewhere between traditional folk music and more devotional sounds but with the easy accessibility of a chilled, balladic pop record too, a combination which will mean that it has a wide appeal, across those genres and beyond.

If I Fall In Love With You is the perfect representation of what Alan Goins does so adeptly, a romantic, optimistic song based on the idea of “what if” demonstrating the positive vibe which runs through the music like a ray of hope.

The title track is a beautifully understated number with just enough cascading guitar to act as a platform for his perfectly poised vocals, Southern Snow is lilting and emotive and Autumn Flowers is both chiming and charming.

By The Moon is a gorgeously minimal album, a collection of songs drawn from the slightest, gossamer sonic weaves, and it is this lightness of touch which, ironically, is what gives thealbum its real power.