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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amy Wadge - Woj, 3 May 2004
Amy Wadge is not a native of Wales but has clearly taken the country to her heart and it's clear that the Welsh nation has reciprocated. For the last two years she's won the best female vocal artist at the Welsh Music awards, ahead of the likes of former Catatonia lead singer, Cerys Matthews. She's built up a strong following and is undoubtedly one of the UKs brightest
emerging talents. Not only is she a stunning vocalist, adept guitar and piano player, an outstanding live performer, but she writes all her own material. Although she has recorded a couple of earlier albums, 'Woj' is her first major release. She has been signed to the same label for which Eric Bibb records, so they obviously know quality when they see it.Much of 2003 was taken up with touring, including slots at the Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festivals and Cardiff's Mardi Gras. While the Wales rugby team was making an unexpected impact in the Rugby World Cup in Australia,Amy was winning over new admirers at the 'Wales Rocks Sydney' showcase,and then headlined the prestigious Lorient Festival in France. The songs and their arrangements are varied but there is a theme of personal experience around love, hurt and life. Unlike many albums that start off with one or two good tracks then fade away in quality, this CD is consistently good throughout. 'Open', occupies the heart-rending territory of Chris While and Julie Matthews at their best, while "Paris", written for her sister, has an accompaniment that brings the feel of the Eiffel Tower right into the middle of your living room. One of the strongest songs is the powerfully confrontational, 'Prophet', which she has reworked and
developed from any earlier version. 'Valley Boy' is an energetic love song about the good qualities that South Wales can instil. You can take the boy out of the valley but you can't take the valley out of the boy. 'Adre Nol', the only song on the album that contains a verse in Welsh, (which Amy is currently learning) describes the feeling that the place you've settled and people you are with are what you've always longed for. It brought back a number of personal memories for me - and a few emotional tears - as she's singing about the part of Wales where I was born and brought up, but the message of the song is universal. There are not many artists these days that make me sit up and listen but Amy Wadge is undoubtedly one such performer. She writes and performs music that not only takes the senses by storm but also caresses them at the same time - hairs standing up on the back of the neck for most of the way through. There's not a bad track on the album. It's one of the most refreshing albums that's hit my CD player in a long time; like a boomerang, it still keeps finding it's way back in there ahead of all others and I've not tired of it yet. So, if you're looking for one of the outstanding albums of 2004,there's no need to look any further.
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