The cover of Iona Leigh’s new album, ‘Beside the Waves of Time,’ bears all the hallmarks of the kind of relaxation music CDs you find in new age shops and the like. Perhaps I’m getting old, or perhaps I simply have hippie tendencies, but in an increasingly stressful society, I’m not entirely averse to such sonic soporifics. The sound of waves or some Gregorian chants are very much the antithesis of city living.
‘Beside the Waves of Time’ promises a ‘unique sound’ which has been described as ‘gorgeous vocals floating over a folk tinged musical backdrop, with an intermingled sense of both tradition and the contemporary’ and ‘a serenity that is rare in the modern pop world.’ My neck’s so stiff I can barely turn my head and my shoulders and back are a succession of knots and spasms. Perhaps Iona can provide some much-needed audio tranquility.
Alas, no. ‘Peaches in the Summertime’ really isn’t all that soothing. The ‘foot-stomping rhythms’ Iona specialises in are very much to the fore as she flits her way through a number that is very much an example of upbeat contemporary folk. The obvious layman’s point of reference is, inevitably, the Corrs. Without pause for breath, ‘The Girl He Left behind’ steps up and is another upbeat number with a Gaelic lilt, and despite being heavily cliched in both lyrical content and melody, does feature some charming harmonies, which are quite beguiling.
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Folk cliche is the order of the day on ‘Let Erin Remember,’ ‘White Dove’ and ‘I Let You Go.’ ‘Must I Be Bound’ is vaguely reminiscent of early All About Eve, but lacks the compelling spine-tingling quality of vocal that is Julianne Reagan’s trademark. The strings and guitar yield to a piano that swells and sinks like the sea Iona sings of in ‘Forever to Sleep.’ The sea and nature are never far away on any of the tracks on the album, and there are moments where she paints some relaxing, idyllic scenes. It’s all quite pleasant, and likely makes great music to knit to, but it’s also very clean in a way that says ‘session musicians’ and ‘digital recording’ rather than ‘traditional’ and ‘rootsy.’ Such gripes aside, closer ‘Brown-haired Maiden’ is a soft piano and accordion led song that makes for a soothing end, and the unlisted bonus track, a (nearly) accapella, leaves me calm at last.
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