Scandal – Tamsin Quin (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

It’s always fascinating to track an artist’s evolution over a number of years and Tamsin Quin is someone who has followed a wonderful path as a musician, artist and performer. To be honest, it’s always been in her, even in the early days a certain charm and charisma, humour and confidence was obvious and the songs where always there, but like any journey it takes a while to bed in, get comfortable and develop that meaningful stride. Scandal is the sound of Tamsin Quin being…well, just more Tamsin Quin and its glorious.

Her songs have always featured the universal subjects of relationships, of love, loss and longing but have also always done so in a very mature way. Not for her the histrionics and drama that the pop scene is filled with nor the cliche and bravado of the rock world, for though her music is best described as roots-pop, it is the roots element which she leans toward lyrically. The music is accessible, pop aware and easy on the ear but lyrically she taps into older, more mature ways of discussing those subjects and Scandal is the perfect example of just such an old folk-wise head on young pop shoulders.

With just the sweet and spacious acoustic guitar to rest her voice on, her vocals are both soothing and  alluring in equal measure, like a whisper in the ear from someone close, reassurance with just the right amount of excitement. And even the language she choses takes her a step above a lot of the competition, mythologising the everyday world into a place filled with outlaws, tyrants and villains, vagabonds and scoundrels. But it is the spaciousness that really seals the deal, those gaps where the notes are allowed to fade away into the distance, the breathing spaces between the words, all building atmosphere and anticipation. Perhaps if, as they say,  less is more, then here it is the more less that makes for the much more more…or something, I’m not great with adages…or double negatives.