GO WELL DIAMOND HEART

"Go Well Diamond Heart" is the ninth studio album of Mostly Autumn that was released in 2010. I was with some high expectations about this new album of the band. First, because I was a bit disappointed with their previous album "Glass Shadows" and second because I wanted to see the result of the replacement of Heather Findlay by Olivia Sparnenn.

So, this was their first album to not feature their former lead vocalist and songwriter Heather Findlay who left the band to start a new solo career. Therefore, it's their first album featuring Olivia Sparnenn on led vocals, despite she already be part of the band as a backing vocalist. This was also the first studio album of the band to feature drummer Gavin Griffiths who substituted Henry Bourne. "Go Well Diamond Heart" also marks the return of two of the band's founding members the keyboardist Iain Jennings and the second guitarist Liam Davison. Jennings hadn't played with them since their sixth studio album "Storms Over Still Water" and Davison since their seventh studio album "Heart Full Of Sky".

So, the line up on the album is Bryan Josh (lead and backing vocals, lead, rhythm, electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards), Olivia Sparnenn (lead and backing vocals and tambourine), Anne-Marie Helder (backing vocals, keyboards, flute and acoustic guitars), Ian Jennings (keyboards, piano and Hammond organ), Liam Davison (backing vocals and rhythm and acoustic guitars), Andy Smith (bass guitars) and Gavin Griffiths (drums). Troy Donockley (whistles and Uilleann pipes) and Marc Atkinson (backing vocals and choir) also participated on the album as two guest musicians.

"Go Well With Diamond Heart" has eight tracks. The first track "For All We Shared" written by Josh represents a very good and interesting way to open this album. This is an acoustic soft ballad sung by Josh and Sparnenn very well supported by acoustic guitars and a mellow keyboard work. This is a great starter and a very promising song, where of course its title name isn't a coincidence and it refers directly the name of the debut studio album of the band. The second track "Violet Skies" written by Josh follows in a similar vein of the previous song but is almost solely sung by Sparnenn with Josh and Anne-Marie on background vocals. Sparnenn seems sounding more confident and is very well supported by the acoustic and electric guitars of Bryan and Davison. It's nice and interesting to see that this track was dedicated to Findlay. The third track "Deep In Borrowdale" written by Josh is a much heavier song with him taking care of the lead vocal duties. It's a song with a Led Zeppelin's guitar riff in the beginning following a brief acoustic respite featuring the flute of Anne-Marie and where Sparnenn demonstrates that she can also rock. This is truly a classic rock song replete of great harmonies. The fourth track "Something Better" written by Josh is another classic rock song with a Black Sabbath flavoured guitar riff. It's a song with poor lyrics, and from a point of view merely musical, it's a kind of song already listened many times by us, because it was written by so many bands. Sincerely, this is a song too much average for a Mostly Autumn's album. The fifth track is the title track "Go Well With Diamond Heart" and was written by Josh. The lyrical content, menacing tone, stinging vocal delivery and sounds of war reveals it to be an effective indictment of the UK's involvement in Afghanistan. Musically, it's a great song with some magnificent crescendos and a majestic keyboard work. It's probably the best and most progressive track on the album. The sixth track "Back To Life" written by Josh and Sparnenn is a very nice and elegant folk ballad, with her singing beautifully with few piano notes beyond and a suitable spine tingling final showcasing Josh's trademark soaring guitar style. It's a mellow song that can remind us the sweetest facet of the group. The seventh track "Hold The Sun" written by Josh and Sparnenn is a very catchy commercial song, very easy and pleasant to hear. This is a slow rock song with a very pleasant melody and a great guitar solo. It isn't a brilliant song but after the first negative impression it reveals be an enough competent track. The eighth and last track "And When The War Is Over?" written by Josh and Sparnenn closes the album with an optimistic message, postscript by the title of the song. Musically, it opens with a minimalist piano and with Sparnenn singing softly along the song with a slow tempo feeling like as if it was a last dance. It's a nice way to finish the album.

Conclusion: It's no secret that "Go Well Diamond Heart" became a very important album for Mostly Autumn. After the departure of Heather Findlay, the front band's member and the second most important band's member, it was obviously important that Mostly Autumn come up with a strong and confident response. And they've completely succeeded in one of the parts, with Olivia Sparnenn proving to be more than an adequate replacement. But, in my humble opinion, they failed a bit in terms of creativity and progressivity. Where are the epic tracks and the great guitar solos on this album? So, "Go Well Diamond Heart" despite be a good album very well balanced, hasn't the creativity and the consistency of almost all of their previous studio albums. Thus, I agree with AtomicCrimsonRush when he says that "Go Well Diamond Heart" is only a good album to get into to relax after a day's work. Sincerely, I expected much more of this great band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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