For more than 30 years now, Colum Sands and his siblings have observed the fabric of Northern Ireland as its society struggles with the notion of political change, and the methods employed to achieve it. Not for them the high moral tone of the artist as commentator; their preferred conduit is humour and gentle persusion, the pointing up of folly through the well chosen word. This album – his first in six years – shows that Mr. Sands has lost none of his edge, ten pieces from his own pen sitting alongside ‘The Politician’s Song’ by Mickey Mac Connell, all inviting, and deserving of repeated listening.
That, you see, is the thing about material of this kind. Songs like ‘Wake Song’, for instance, are on the surface one thing – a story – but dig a little and other layers begin to reveal themselves.
‘Going Down To The Well With Maggie’ is a memory of youth, but far more with it, chronicling the disappearance of the old ways. The title track is a love song that is not alone romantic, but courtly in its language, a perfect pitch for the heart’s ultimate quest.
With this album, Colum Sands has given us much to ponder, even more to admire, extending a legacy that is destined to last a very long time. For such small mercies, we should indeed be grateful. A lovely, lovely piece of work.