SongDance is singer John Wright's 10th album celebrating his 10 years as a professional. He is now a well-established figure on the British folk scene after earlier careers as a soldier and shepherd. A characteristic of Wright's fine interpretation of contemporary song is the wide range of material he covers -- particularly from folk to country but also touching on pop and rock, too.

On the album he includes songs by well-known names such as Leonard Cohen and Mary Chapin Carpenter, and a number of British singer-songwriters including Allan Taylor, Paul Millns and Steve Tilston. With such a varied output, not all the songs will appeal to every listener, but there is sure to be something special for everyone.

The pure quality of Wright's voice makes a great impact throughout the album, as do the six musicians accompanying him. These include versatile Fairport Convention veteran Maartin Allcock (the various instruments he plays here include guitar and bass), who also produced the album, and the dynamic female singing duo of Julie Matthews and Chris While providing backing vocals.

For me, there are two particularly outstanding songs. Matthews' own "Dancing With Angels" is a poignant song about Alzheimer's disease, which manages to remain upbeat through stylish percussion, a big vibe by all the band and ethereal backing vocals. This is contemporary songwriting and singing at its best. Millns' "World on Your Shoulder" is another song full of emotional impact underlined by sublime guitar.

At the exciting launch gig for the album (held at Mill at the Pier in Wigan, England) on Dec. 15, 2003, five of the songwriters were present to perform their own versions of the songs appearing on the album, which made for a unique and memorable concert. Millns' performance of his excellent song, accompanied by his own piano playing, enthralled the audience, as did newcomer Joseph Topping's sensual "The Flame Danced Flamenco." The experience though of listening to the album after the gig confirms that Wright always does full justice to songs through his subtle and fresh interpretations. Indeed, Taylor has said, "All songwriters long for a singer such as John Wright to sing and record their songs because he will always sing it so well. The only problem is he actually sings my song better than I do!"

My one criticism of the album is that sometimes the addition of keyboards seems unnecessary (as in "If I'd Only Learned to Dance") and I feel that a piano would be more effective as demonstrated at the gig. Other notable songs include the opener "I Hope You Dance" (by Mark D. Sanders/Tia Sillers) with its attractive, delicate guitar introduction leading to Wright's crystal-clear voice and the expansive sound of the full band. The title song, "Songdance" (by Taylor), is a quieter number with plaintive harmonica by Chris Parkinson. "Mirror Dance" (by Tilston) is given characteristically expansive treatment by Wright and the band. It even manages to capture something of the live interaction between the musicians reminiscent of the concert.

There is a strong "feel good" atmosphere to this album, but it never undermines the lyrical and powerfully emotional rendition of the songs that Wright achieves.

- Rambles
written by Andy Jurgis
published 31 January 2004

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