Songs Lost & Stolen – Acoustic review
This latest marks a step forward of sorts for the highly rated Derbyshire songstress. It’s the first to feature all-original material, but from the age-old imagery and ballad motifs you’d be forgiven for thinking some of it draws direct from the deep well of the traditional canon. There’s a dark intensity to opener ‘Labyrinth’ and the chilling ‘Bridge of Dean’, contrasting with Kris Drever’s delicate slide work amid the warm glow of ‘Walk It With You’, while the fairy-tale narrative of the wistful ‘Promises’ demonstrates an almost Sondheim-like melodic ambition. Blessed with a voice ranging from a detached, glacial majesty to an intimate warmth, Hardy spins new cloth from old themes: love, tragedy, murder and the siren call of the sea.
