Reviews

Artist: Marsha Swansom
Album:Watershed
Label:Proper Distribution cat.no MMCD001
Tracks: 12
Rating: ****
Contact:   www.marshaswanson.co.uk

London based singer songwriter Marsha Swanson brought out her debut cut, "Watershed" last year, but has only recently seen it secure proper national distribution, effectively making it's release date early March. Whatever the reason it gave us an excuse as we missed it the first time around and now have an opportunity to right the wrong of us missing it at the time.
The first thing you notice about "Watershed" is it's elusiveness. You think you're about to define it and suddenly there's a new sound or vocal phrase that takes it just out of your grasp again. It captivates like a willo the whisp drawing you towards it and then luring you down unexpected paths.
Marsha has brought out an album with a very English feel. There are some great atmospheric landscapes around which Swanson's vocals weave the song. It delicate, at times almost tinged with melancholia, but with an underlying strength that allow it to avoid falling into the world of faux sentimentality.
The presentation is direct, and distinctive, but there is so much below the surface to reward you for putting the effort in. It's almost two albums in one. You can just let it wash over you, allow it to do the work, allow it to entertain. "Watershed" is a very subtle album that will take you with it's flow. You are, however, better off giving it your undivided attention. Swanson understands her craft, listen to it and you will pick up the under currents that add that extra meaning.
The subtlety in the song and the lyric are matched by the quality of the voice. Marsha has that undefinable something that sets her apart from a number of singers without really being able to define that something. Kate Rusby is a great English singer that brings a Northern edge. Swanson isn't really Southern, but she does have that crystal tone that gives her voice a ring, without it grating
The songs all sound as though they can take a bit of experimenting. I can imagine "Ghost Song" as anything from a haunting lyrical piece, accompanied just by Marsha and a guitar, as a band piece, which is how it's presented, or as a full blown orchestral score.
"Watershed" is an album that features great songs, that are packaged to do them justice. I may have missed this the first time around, but both the album and Marsha Swanson are definitely on my radar. Marsha's website gives you the opportunity to try before you but my recommendation is to go for the wallet pretty much straight away. If you're lucky you should also be able to catch up with Marsha Swanson and her band at a venue near you soon as she hits the road in support of watershed.