Sarah McQuaid - Walking Into White

Spanish-born, Chicago-raised and a one time Irish resident (and Hot Press columnist), Sarah McQuaid made waves here with her 1997 debut When Two Lovers Meet (reissued in 2007), which combined elements of American, Irish and UK folk styles. Now resident in Cornwall, she has since forged a strong live reputation, touring widely in Europe and the US, while continuing to release albums exploring different genres.
With a gentle, ethereal voice reminiscent of UK folk legend, the late Sandy Denny (with hints too of Nico), McQuaid makes music that harks back to a simpler time. Utilising the DADGAD guitar tuning technique, her acoustic playing is distinctive, while the backing here includes electric guitars and a variety of instrumentation, including ’80s synths, vibraphone air organ and sundry percussive touches. Recorded in part on a mini-cassette recorder attached to a microphone stand, the sound is conscously raw and decidedly lo-fi. Bare and stark, opener ‘Low Winter Sun’ boasts a hypnotic melody with finger-picked guitar and ominous sounding drone textures. ‘Where The Wind Decides To Blow’ picks up the pace a little with a dreamy, Nick Drake-style melody, underpinned by a pounding drum pattern.
Elsewhere, ‘Yellowstone’ features a flamenco influence; ‘The Silver Lining’ has hints of Tex-Mex outfit Calexico, and the title track boasts a simple-but-powerful arrangement of guitar, voice and trumpet. One track, ‘Sweetness and Pain’, appears three times as a series of short a capella interludes, while the album concludes with a haunting reading of Ewan MacColl’s oft-recorded ballad, ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’. Uneven at times but highly intriguing.

Key Track - 'Low Winter Sun'