Julia Fordham launched her solo career back in 1988 and this latest release Earth Mate is her fourteenth studio album. Her back catalogue includes forays into the world of jazz, occasional collaborations and also songs for films, and whilst her star has tended to rise and fall here in the UK she has enthusiastic groups of fans worldwide, notably in Japan and the Philippines.
Using the momentum gained from the much appreciated and well supported Woman to Woman tours, with Judie Tzuke and Beverley Craven, Julia Fordham is now following up on 2019’s Magic with this new set of songs very much in her familiar singer/songwriter style. About the album, she says it comes in the aftermath of a long-term relationship ending and the songs are inspired by “pipe dreams that turned to smoke and ash…being older but not necessarily wise”. We can all relate to that, and it’s not all doom and gloom, there is a mix of both optimistic and more regretful and contemplative songs making for a nice balance in the ebb and flow of the stories she tells.
Her voice is clearly the foremost instrument on the album and she retains crystal clear delivery and the exceptional range for which she is so admired. The backing tracks are restrained and simply arranged, and that includes a well sign-posted guest appearance from Gordon Giltrap, who provides a lilting guitar accompaniment in the form of a humble, acoustic, repeating melodic phrase on Chair On The Porch. This approach to the musical settings for the songs does mean that Julia Fordham really has no place to hide. Her craft, skill and musicianship are not in question here, but it does mean the album can tend to drift by if the listener is not paying full attention. Of course, what remains mightily impressive throughout is the effusive emotional energy from Julia’s vocal performances, and how she breathes life, soul, and meaning into her lyrics.
The first half of the album, from track one, Home (If This Is What Love Is) to track 5, Done & Dusted tell the personal stories that inspired this bout of song-writing. They form a beautifully engaging series of songs that certainly match the highest quality of her previous ‘hits’. On Done and Dusted Irish singer songwriter Ryan O’Shaughnessy shares the vocal duties, creating a wonderfully harmonious duet, with the male and female voices mirroring the ‘both sides, now’ context of the subject matter.
The second half is a quirky mix of songs with some hits and some misses, to be honest. Everest is an epic story, doom-laden and sombre, but it lacks a redemptive finale that could have lifted the spirits, and Sugar Water is also somewhat downbeat with echoes of many other similarly styled, watery-themed odes. The mood changes abruptly with the whimsical Circus, a mash-up of Don’t Kill the Whale and Circus of Heaven from the Tormato playlist, it being a diverting piece of social commentary wrapped in a sickly-sweet pop arrangement.
The album does finish strongly, however. Minor Victories is an interesting cabaret style song showing off her jazz influences and where, finally, the band get to play a significant role and their patience rewards us with elegantly shifting rhythms and deft contributions from guitar and piano. On the final track Smile Or Frown, Julia takes the part of backing vocalist to accompany New Zealand’s Greg Johnson. It turns out to be an inspired combination, and the celtic-folk imbued vibe is a very pleasant way to sign off, placing us in the middle of an olde country inn with a room full of voices singing out the chorus.
So, it appears that 7/10 would be a realistic mark for me give this album. Julia Fordham fans will be delighted that she has delivered another strong set of songs in her inimitable style, but despite her own performance across the album being so strong, overall, for me there is a lack of depth to the musical arrangements and the production.
TRACK LISTING
01. Home (If This Is What Love Is) (5:25)
02. Chair On The Porch (3:40)
03. Earth Mate (4:41)
04. My Old Table (3:20)
05. Done & Dusted (3:33)
06. Everest (4:53)
07. Sugar Water (4:03)
08. Circus (3:35)
09. Minor Victories (4:53)
10. Smile Or Frown (3:30)
Total Time – 41:33
MUSICIANS
Julia Fordham – Vocals
Leland Sklar – Bass
Miles Bould – Drums, Percussion
Scott Firth – Guitar
Gordon Giltrap – Guitar (2)
Ryan O’Shaughnessy – Vocals (5)
Greg Johnson – Vocals (10)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: 444 Records
Country of Origin: U.K.
Date of Release: 25th October 2024
LINKS
Julia Fordham – Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram