HEARTLEAP

Vashti Bunyan is a British singer-songwriter whose songs I have come across on some excellent various artists' anthologies of folk rock (Anthems in Eden, Dust on the Nettles, Milk of the Tree) and now I'm glad to properly enter her discography.

Jennifer Vashti Bunyan was born in South Tyneside in 1945. The exotic name Vashti may mislead one's thoughts of her family origins; it was the name of her father's boat and also a nickname for her mother, inspired by Persian queen Vashti mentioned in the Old Testament. In the early 1960s, she studied at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at Oxford University, but was expelled for focusing on music instead of art. Sadly her debut album Just Another Diamond Day (1970) sold very poorly at the time and she abandoned her musical career -- but fortunately not for good. The CD re-release in 2000 encouraged her to write new songs, leading to the second album Lookaftering in 2004.

Ten years later the third (and of now, last) album Heartleap was accompanied by Bunyan's statement: "The whole point of the album was finally to learn a way that would enable me to record the music that is in my head, by myself. I neither read nor write music, nor can I play piano with more than one hand at a time, but I have loved being able to work it all out for myself and make it sound the way I wanted. I've built these songs over years. The album wouldn't have happened any other way." All ten songs were written and produced by Vashti Bunyan who plays guitars, piano, synth and dulcitone. The accompanying musicians add mainly strings and reeds to the very delicate and serene soundscape.

I choose not to do my review in a track-by-track approach. The possible negative criticism for this album would undoubtedly concern the "sameness" between the songs, for they all really are so tender and peaceful. Does this bother me? No! This is simply one of those special case albums that ought to be listened to in a certain mood when you surrender yourself entirely to the music's intimate beauty. As a vocalist Bunyan has been compared to JOAN BAEZ and JONI MITCHELL. I might add the Canadian art-popper JANE SIBERRY and (the original Fairport Convention singer) JUDY DYBLE at their calmest. Vashti Bunyan however has a style completely of her own. This album will surely please those who have enjoyed her earlier works (and vice versa, hardly wins over those listeners who haven't been impressed at all). If you want to find some very soothing and serene music with vocals, and appreaciate folky artists such as NICK DRAKE, have a listen.