The live record always has the habit of making venues seem somewhat mythical - the "El Mocambo", "The Budokan" even "CBGB's", although from what we've seen of the last one it was a bit of a dive. To that list we can now add The Grey Lady which sounds like a fine establishment with a polite classy audience judging by their appearances on this recording.
The live recording also has a habit of being a contractual obligation, or a book end to a world tour however we suspect that this is not the case with Sorrel Nation's' new release "Thirty Summers" - it seems more a reset or a showcase - preparing the way for the future,
The EP is made up of four originals and two covers which all seamlessly join together.
Things open with a polite introduction to "Everyday", then a lengthyish guitar intro
"Twenty five and feeling - the best I could be feeling Are you home soon?
This stripped back version of a song that appeared on Sorrel's "Walk With Me" EP ramps up the sultry atmosphere to eleven before we've escaped the opening line or two. the word "soon" seems to linger in the air. It is a feeling that only intensifies with the next batch of lines.
"Counting down the minutes, seconds till I see you, are you counting to?"
Always got me dreaming, waking up and breathing loving every breath you take
Tangled all around you, thanking some God I found you, as you blow me away - Everyday"
Things only get steamier as the song develops and when Sorrel ends the song with another "Are you home soon?" the audience sound a little uncertain that she has finished, as if transfixed by the revelations
"Crazy For You" ( not the Madonna song ) is introduced as a shmoozy sexy little love song" and by the second verse it seems likely that the barometer in The Grey Lady would have been reading steamy!
"Taste my lips, taste my love on your skin
Wrapped around till sun comes up with my limbs
Never knew life could feel so free
I put it down , I put it down, to you and me
I feel it now, I feel it now"
"
After the next chorus Sorrel ups a vocal gear, as she suddenly becomes a soaring siren before huskily, suggestively delivering the lines
"Hey there Baby - I'm crazy for you
Hey there Baby, oh, I'm your Lady it's true"
To calm everyone down the first cover of the evening "Hard Times" by Gillian Welch sees Sorrel take the pretty raw original, transfer it from banjo to guitar to smooth out some of the edges, but in essence still capturing the sentiment at the heart of the song. As Sorrel sings it is easy to picture the events as if they are playing out before your very eyes.
"16 Year Old Me" sees Sorrel looking back at her younger self, reflecting on the love she has now with the reaction of her younger self to a relationship breakdown at such a tender age.
"Took a bottle to get over him - hell it was more like ten!"
It led to a key decision in Sorrel's life
"I had to let you go
I moved on and I moved away"
There is a tribute to her earlier self recognising that the trials of her earlier self made her the person that she is today.
"I just want to thank you for all that i've learned and all that I've grown"
Not giving up on your dreams is how "Living Free" is introduced. The initial verses though paint the more conventional view
"Living free is fun
Til your getting old
And your bed is cold
Do it while you’re young and free
They keep on telling me
What changes will I see
As the years come and go
Do I have to stay at home
And raise a family of three?
It’s the only way we know
Is that what you’re telling me?"
The next upbeat verse says otherwise telling you to go for it
"What if I want to sail at 83
Or jump from a plane for an afternoon away
Drive down the lane with no plan where to stay
The farmer won’t mind As it’s just for a day "
Other characters appear in subsequent verses with their aspirations that they'd still like to achieve. such as
the sailing pensioner or the soon to be retiree
The second cover of the EP is "Who Knows Where The Time Goes, the original of course by Sandy Denny via Fairport Convention, though #TEAMw21 came to it via Nanci Griffiths so either way big shoes to fill.
It is one of those songs that you just know, so rarely do you actually look at what is being sung. It is more like poetry as Sandy sketches three little vignettes each alluding to the passing of time, the migrating birds, the seasonal change and our personal favourite the beach side scene - with that alliterative dig at the friends of the person that she is singing to.
"Sad, deserted shore
Your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know
It's time for them to go
But I will still be here
I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time"
These keenly observed moments have a melancholy to them and the song is balanced by just two lines of optimism
"And I am not alone
While my love is near me"
Sorrel's guitar is actually more prominent than the one on the original version, her voice capturing the ambience of the line "I will still be dreaming - I have no thought of time". Her strong vibrato style ( which is normally something #TEAMw21 has an aversion to ) anchors the song more in the folk world, and works perfectly on this tune. There is also a moment where the steeliness in Sorrel's voice shines through as she says "I do not fear the time", as if standing there like a warrior who will not be beaten. Definitely a version that is in keeping with and sympathetic to the original
With a new album promised for later in the year, this EP should work as either a thank you to those who have already boarded the Sorrel Nation express, as well as an introduction to those just becoming aware of her many talents.
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