The art of obvious versatility
The Sound Of The Ladies is the work of just one man, singer/songwriter Martin Austwick, a genuine musical maverick playing every instrument and writing every song. Applaud that ambidextrous resourcefulness for starters and if nothing else cajoles your admiration about this album then never forget the gifted musicianship behind it. The voice is almost a tender crooning, the ambience more surrogate folk than folk itself (
Frank Turner meets Bob Dylan via Bonnie Prince Billy?) comfortably sedate but not the boredom soaked kind of sedate with run-of-the-mill melodics, nah this, or rather he, has a more artisan grasp when carving out a niche for oneself. It’s an accomplished album, perfectly cadenced for the journey intended. Plaintive and never schmaltzy, good enough for any dreamer, but without the standard cheesiness something this genteel can so often find itself tangled up in. Consider it the less embittered cousin of standard industry modernism and you’ll get the general idea.
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Alan Baillie
