Stunning traditional songwriting on instant folk classic.
This is the second full-length release by singer-songwriter David Coller this year. His first, When Summer Comes, was given a glowing write-up in these pages, and now comes Blue Water, which is shot through with maritime influences: hardly surprising, as Coller has spent a very significant time on his own schooner, which he has recently given up. So this is something of a requiem as well as a celebration of all things sea-connected.
The album is wholeheartedly in the folk genre; the production is naturalistic and light of touch, mostly based around Coller’s own guitar and vocals, with some really stunning harmonies from his life partner Diane Chodkowski (herself a long-time doyen of the folk scene). There are some lovely additional instrumental touches when they are needed, though, with hammered dulcimer, fiddle, accordion, pedal steel, drums, and producer Mark Dann joining on bass, too.
This is a record full of beautifully crafted songs, some of which sound like standards already. All bear repeat listens. Indeed, this is a collection that begs for the old-fashioned concept of listening to in full and in order, as the artist intended.
The Rigger’s Apprentice could have emerged from the Ewan MacColl songbook, with a shanty-feel padded out with full storytelling. Roseanna treads similar ground, but this time with a lullaby feel. It is not the only song that sounds like an actual traditional song, a tribute to Coller’s knowledge of the form, and ability to bend it to his own songwriting shape.
Let Your Love Roll Easy, the heartbreaking lost-love narrative of Love On A Lee Shore and the absolutely captivating Just Another Day have more of a gentle, country songwriting feel to them; think Kate Wolfe, Bill Staines or Nanci Griffith, and you won’t be far away. Diggin’ For Clams and We’re Sinking demonstrate a nice sense of humour, shading the light and dark into the album’s feel.
So, if the likes of Wolfe, Staines, Tom Paxton, or Pete Seeger are mentioned, it is only to give the idea of what you might hear, but Coller is no one’s copyist. He has composed an album full of wonderful, timeless songs that could have appeared any time over many previous decades, even previous centuries in some cases. The understated production means you could easily imagine sitting in the corner of a folk club and hearing them delivered with pure intention, just the songs and the connections, with no musical smoke and mirrors. This is a lovely record for those who like their music to be equal parts soothing, thoughtful, truthful, and unadulterated.
