‘Chasing Light’ is the new studio album from UK based contemporary acoustic folk artist Gareth Davies-Jones, who is quietly making a name for himself with his consistent live shows and instantly likeable albums.
This album gets off to a bright start with the excellent ‘The Fields’ and from here on in he moves between his own songs and reworked traditional tracks. The strength of the album comes from his own songs that move between thought-provoking political commentaries, historical narratives and personal reflections - it’s a comprehensive mix that keeps the listener completely engaged throughout the disc.
He presents his songs in a very contemporary manner, with crisp recording and production in a similar vein to Megson, and he’s a talented multi-instrumentalist providing acoustic guitar, bazouki and mandocello, and he’s surrounded himself with some great musicians including Alyn Cosker (drums) and Stu & Debs Hanna from Megson helping out on backing vocals.
The attention to detail, production values and overall quality of the presentation of the disc is of the highest order, and his smooth distinctive vocals mixed with the varied musical styles on the disc make this a genuinely enjoyable album.
Track listing
1 The Fields
2 Hidden
3 Reilly
4 Sweet Portaferry
5 Berlin To Bethlehem
6 Headlines
7 Chasing Light
8 Troubadour
9 Character
10 PQ17
11 Rover Of The Sea
12 Ingram
review 6 April 2011
