‘Nothing=Everything’ is Edinburgh based singer/songwriter SHARON KING'S debut album. It is a bit of an oddity, blending Celtic folk influence with Americana, although to my untrained ears, the majority of the songs here would fall broadly within the country music genre. There are twelve tracks on the album, all of which have a nice line in storytelling, and excellent musicianship features throughout.
The opening track ‘Travelling Ways’ uses guitar, acoustic bass and violin to provide a textured country style song which lyrically follows the age old story of moving on and not setting down any roots: - “I have a hobo’s heart and I, I make my bed out on the road/I fall in love with you but I, I leave before I feel the pain/ I wear these travellin’ shoes."
Whilst this may be a recurring theme within the country genre, the sheer zest and zing that’s put into ensures it stand up strongly, and I reckon that this would make an excellent single.
Elsewhere, tracks like ‘Fisher King’ betray a folky influence, a slower moody song which utilises the viola prominently. The lyrics are firmly rooted within that genre, but are expressive and paint a good picture: - “I set sail on one morn, drawn by the promise of the sea/ The storm blew out of nowhere, now it’s ragin’/ Lighthouse shine a light for me, lifeboat won’t you search for me?/ Fisher King rescue me, for I am lost upon the sea.”
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‘Newspaper Headlines’ is a piano based country ballad and cleverly juxtaposes different sides to the same story: - “She’s fallin’, no rescue. The newspaper headline. Coupled with: - "He’s fallin’, there’s rescue. The newspaper headline.” This show how the “Same stories go around. Same stories come around.”
The album does have its ups and downs, tracks like ‘Avalon’ drag a bit, and some of the tone veers toward the depressing. However, the storytelling is so superior that overall 'Nothing=Everything" surely adds up to something worthwhile.
Sharon King online
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