Gone Away

Sun Giant EP ~ Fleet Foxes 4.4 out of 5 stars (12)  £3.98

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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Review
Aurally Seductive - John Henry Lambert penned the music to the nine songs on this, his debut solo recording. Recorded over a two-year period earlier this decade on Lambert's Dartmoor (England) farm, the collection was produced by Lambert's some-time musical associate, Richard Ashrowan. The pair collaborated in the creation of three of the nine lyrics, Lambert being the sole author of the remainder. The resulting sonic landscape features the sound of the human voice, male and female, married to that of - as the need dictates - harmonium, piano, violin, and saxophone. It's refreshing to report that percussion and drums were not used in the creation of this recording. While the female voices (mainly) warble in support, Lambert's contributions are mostly spoken - his vocal on " 'Til I Get Home"; can hardly be categorised as singing. The three-and-a-half-minute-long title album track apart, the others possess a duration of at least five and up to almost seven minutes. Lambert's compositions can best be described as poetic mood pieces accompanied by a backdrop of acoustic instruments. Considering that Lambert's back pages features stints in a Folk Rock and ambient house group, Gone Away is by way of an experimental extension of past labours. Obviously inspired by the natural world that surrounds his Dartmoor home, allied to memories of a past life spent in a city, Lambert's melancholic spoken delivery sets the tone; one that's enhanced when joined by Isabel Lambert's (wife) harmonium. Forced to toss a few names into the air, fans of Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, and Sam Baker might find Lambert's work engaging. What John Henry Lambert has achieved with Gone Away is rather unique: aurally seductive even. Arthur Wood April 2008 --FolkWax

Review
This Devon based singer-songwriter is firmly rooted in darkling acoustic folk, as brooding, wild and earthy as the Dartmoor landscapes where it was recorded. Accompanying Lambert's spare guitar and cracked leather and dark loam vocals, wife Isabel provides harmonium and piano, Ian Ritchie the saxophones with Kathleen Willison on violin and backing vocals alongside Natalie Williams. The result may not conjure the recent work of Scott Walker as the blurb suggests, but you ll definitely hear the influences of Roger Waters solo albums and, as Lambert acknowledges, Springsteen s The Ghost of Tom Joad. The sax soaked City Skies suggests he s a fan of Cohen too. In which case Williams and Willison are his Jennifer Warnes. Or, on the harmonium droned Lost Sight of the Way, perhaps the McGarrigles. Refective themes of loss and change are sketched with an eye for natural imagery (birds, winds, leaves) and the seasons (the music more autumnal or rimmed with frost than the rays of spring and summer) as Lambert talks his way through the numbers. Actually, with several of them clocking past the six minute mark they tend to be more about the musical accompaniment mood settings than the vocals, more tone poems than songs. As such, while not New Age, they work best when played in tranquillity, the likes of Swallows or The Winter Of 95 offering a sense of spiritual balm; albeit one stained with nicotine and the fumes of roasted barley. I know nothing of Lambert's past, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on his future. Mike Davies April 2008 --NetRhythms

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2 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   5.0 out of 5 stars Autumnal British melancholy or lasting appeal..., 13 Jun 2008 By  Og Oggilby "Og Oggilby" (North London) - See all my reviews    Music doesn't always have to be about the bells and whistles and big gestures of mainstream rock. Sometimes, it can be just as much about nuance, mood and tone. John Henry Lambert's 'Gone Away' is firmly in the latter camp. Scott Walker once said that he wanted to achieve a 'perfect stillness' in his music - I dunno if he ever achieved it, but Lambert comes close here. The album inculcates a sense of poetic, Autumnal British melancholy that is engrossing. Melancholy doesn't mean depressing - it's more the pastoral hues and warm earthy tones of this frequently mesmerising work that lifts it into a class of its own. You may only need one album like this - but make sure it's 'Gone Away' - it'll haunt you - but in a good way! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   5.0 out of 5 stars A quiet understated masterpiece, 3 Jan 2008 By  Snowflake (Scotland) - See all my reviews I got this album as I was intrigued by the concept of 'ambient folk'. The result is genuinely rewarding - a quite melancholy mood seems to pervade the lyrics and some of the music on the record, but it doesn't really feel depressing in the way that listening to an early Leonard Cohen album might. His voice reminds me sometimes of Roger Waters, or Leonard Cohen, and it is lifted nicely by the additional female singers. The musicianship is sparse and I feel quite deliberately minimal - I felt quite transported by some genuinely beautiful passages, but this only adds to the overall mood. It's an album without real highs and lows - it has a wonderfully restful consistency of mood. This is something I can listen to quietly, to reflect upon life, nature and the passing of time. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 2 customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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