ANNE MARIE ALMEDAL – Memory Lane – CD review

ANNE MARIE ALMEDAL
Memory Lane
+47

Oh Jaysus, but the hippies are going to wet themselves once they got a hold of album number three from Norwegian folkstress, Anne Marie Almedal.

I’m no kidding, this is primo, top of the range, artisan dinner party material.  The kind of thing that conjures up Uncut related words like pastoral, cinematic and sweeping.  Luckily for me, it’s also bloody good.  I’m always had a bit of a thing for the Nordic way.  Maybe it’s because if I look North-East from where I’m sitting, the first major city is Stavanger.  Maybe it’s because I’m a miserable auld sod.  Who knows.

Regardless, this is top of the range folk, which manages to be of its own, despite the presence of folk royalty in the shape of Danny Thompson (Pentangle, John Martyn etc) and Nick Drake producer, John Wood.  And I normally run a mile when the words Nick and Drake hove into view.

Some of it is heart rendingly beautiful, with song like as ‘Scars’ and the title track ‘Memory Lane’ digging deep into the darker recesses which really should remain unexplored.  Granted, there are a couple of tunes that slip into background music territory, but by and large, the delicate and heartfelt arrangements cocoon you in the delightful voice of Ms Almedal.

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