Hearkened Hands – J W Edwards (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

If folk music is known for a rawness and honesty and rock music for drama and dynamic, then Hearkened Hands sits at a point where those two worlds collide. Sometimes taking an emotive acoustic stance, sometimes a hypnotic electric wash, it is the meeting of these two styles that creates the fantastic soundscape that JW Edwards inhabits.

Songs such as The Rain could probably best be described as post-folk, fashioning a hypnotic tribal groove around a traditional folk sound like a Seth Lakeman penned tune that has travelled the world, soaked up some exotic vibes, smoked something interesting and let its hair down. The other end of the scale comes with opening salvo Everday, a slow burner that builds and pulses its way towards an industrial-future-folk play off.

If you are a fan of clever vocal treatments then you will find a lot to like here from big choral washes to warped and effected interludes as well as some more traditional close harmony deliveries. If you want a glimpse of how folk music treads new paths through the modern age, again you can give that box a tick. Those who appreciate dexterous guitar picking will also enjoy these songs. In fact I can’t think of many people who I wouldn’t recommend this album to. Go buy it now!