Blackheart: Indigo

• Released: Out now
• Rating: 10/10
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Duo Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington are well known on the folk scene,having performed with luminaries such as Martin Carthy, Julie Felix, TheStrawbs and US legends Steve Forbert and Hunter Moore.

Dripping in honeyed harmonies and melodies, Indigo is an album tosavour, whatever your musical preferences.

From the off, you detect credible and classy studio performances with wellcrafted songwriting that will undoubtedly appeal to all ages. Combining originalfolky sensibilities and 21 century stylings they bring the genre bang up-to-date.

Songwise, it swings from melancholy to hope, love and disappointment to deathwith flourishing ease, though it never veers towards depressing. Mostyn has areal knack of delivering a ‘killer’ lyric, especially on the sad songs, whichis an art in itself.

Wonderland is a lament with a contradictory upbeat angle and great chorus,reflecting on the downside of life’s expectations, highlighted with lyrics “Wonderlandoh wonderland / Why is life never like I planned / no-one but me will everunderstand why I wanna go back / To wonderland.”

Though, after considerable thought, Mostyn spouts, “No-one but me will everunderstand why I’ll never go back / To wonderland”, proving it’s a womanprerogative to change her mind.

There’s a sharp observation of lost love on the stunning Flowers For Tomorrow,where the lover’s thoughts are elsewhere, accepting her present partner’s affections andtransferring her devotion to him. The heart wrenching line, “He’s not who Ithought my saviour would be / But he holds me every night and kisses away yourmemory”, is a real tear-jerker. Equally touching is 94 Years, the tale ofa daughter’s last chance to ‘communicate’ with her dying father.

One On One is a perky tale of fate, when two musical soul-mates team-up,presumably Blackheart’s union, whereas the title track Indigo is abitter-sweet reflection on lost love. Somewhere In A Dream is a performancecut that consolidates they can cut the mustard live on stage, and that thestudio sessions don’t flatter them one iota. In America is arguably their mostcommercial song here,(a great single by the way, if ever released) taking alook at the ‘American Way’, using a simple format and soaring chorus.

They have had some commercial exposure; literally, with ethereal Unlike Waterbeing the soundtrack to Moben Kitchens’ TV commercial that ran from Jan toSept 2007. Blue Flowers For Tomorrow, is a contemporary ‘it should havebeen me’ wedding song. “Well I begged it would be me / But in a moment you andhe / Must say your words and I will be no more”, sums it all up, as thebride’s friend sees her ‘love’ slip away, under her nose.

Indigo deals with some pretty emotive issues all rolled up into onebeautiful package.

File under: Magnificent.