– THE CHARM OFFENSIVE –

Rachael Dadd’s unique, idiosyncratic form of creativity is so endearing, I challenge you to listen to some of her back catalogue (if you’re not already familiar with it) and try to not like her at least just a little bit.

A musician with a well-established reputation for being pioneering and thought provoking, her 2016 solo Piano & Projection show son her an Emerging Excellence Award and 2014 album We Resonate was equally well-received.

Now she releases FLUX – an album which has been billed as “a protest against the flow of recent political history” focussing, particularly on migration. Cut My Roots – the first single off the record – is likely to be the most literal embodiment of that sentiment.

“When it came to making the music video,” says Dadd “I used the context of our oppressive past which, although is no longer in living memory, still echoes all around us today. It is important that each one of us keeps an eye on our collective liberties.”

What strikes me most about Cut My Roots – the track – is the sheer earthiness of it. At times Robert Plant-esque, at times more Seth Lakeman, it conjures – in my mind – images of wind-swept hillsides, rocky cliffs over wild seas and even vast, still deserts.

None of which are reflected in the video it must be said. That pairs imagery of Victorian workhouses with 21^st Century power execs in high heels and a whole bunch of weird Pagan-type bobbins.

Combined with a jaunty track that contains a light sprinkling of bars in an unusual time signature, it’s enough to make what could – to the casual listener – be mistaken for a run-of-the-mill folk song into something altogether more alive and uplifting.

Oh, and the last 20 seconds are brilliantly mad an’ all!

FLUX will be released on 8 November via Memphis Industries

MORE FROM THIS WEEK’S MIX

ASHLEY HENRY: BETWEEN THE LINES
YAATRI: WAITING ON THE SUN
PYJÆN: NAH
TAWIAH: DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH

P.S. You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –