SARAH McQUAID - THE PLUM TREE AND THE ROSE

Within 15 seconds of listening to this album, you realise that this is a very special CD from a unique and talented singer-songwriter. After the warm and delightful opener "Lift You Up and Let You Fly", you are then told the story of how an incredible lady in the late 1500's, built the magnificent Hardwick Hall near Chesterfield, knowing she had created something special which would still be talked about for many years to come, very much like this album. The cover of "Solid Air" is a fitting tribute to Nick Drake who no doubt would nod in appreciation of a powerful and memorable rendition. In "Kenilworth" and "In Derby Cathedral", Sarah combines the asking of the big questions about life, while celebrating the human spirit and resourcefulness needed to face lifes problems, which is revisited later with the album's title track. The economic state of the world and all its knock-on effects are brought to the fore with intelligence, compassion and integrity in " The Sun Goes On Rising". The listener is then taken on a wonderful insight to the music of hundreds of years ago and which are dramatically brought to life with "S'Anc Fuy Belha Ni Prezada", "Can She Excuse My Wrongs" and "New Oysters New" which takes us back to the 13th century, Elizabethan age and the early 17th century. The picture Sarah paints vocally are so vibrant and strong in "So Much Rain" and yet highlights a delicacy within her delivery that creates an atmosphere of warmth in the performance in the next track ("What Are We going To Do") is a tribute to her talents. "In Gratitude I Sing" is a perfect end to an amazing album where the listener should be thanksgiving to a singer-songwriter who is without parallel. A classic. OFFICIAL WEBSITE