Here you will find reviews, links to full articles and comments about Hlywing.
Reviews in most recent order:
By Kev Rowland 30/07/2023 House of Prog (The official station for ProgStock)
“Something quite majestic indeed” 10 / 10
“I have long worked with Stevie Horton at Iconic Music & Media, and when she sent me this album she said, “here is something really special – and very beautiful” , and I was immediately intrigued. After playing it for the first time I knew she was right on both counts, and here was something quite majestic indeed. Although it ever comes across as such, this is Ruth’s debut album, as she is a classically trained violinist and composer and can normally be found supporting others such as Ashley Hutchings who said about this, “her talent as a singer, songwriter and musician is plain for all to see and enjoy”. ……
There are times when I am reminded of Jo Beth Young, and like her works there is no doubt that this is something which is quite out of the ordinary, music to sit inside and listen intently. If ever an album screams out to be played on headphones it is this, as each song is very visual and takes the listener on a wonderful journey of discovery”.
Please click here for the full unedited review:
https://houseofprog.com/blog/2023/07/30/ruth-angell-hlywing-2023/
By Kevin Bryan 31/05/2023 Morning Star newspaper
“Subtly captivating”
“This classically trained performer received her musical education as a violinist and composer at Birmingham Conservatoire and has made quite an impact on the folk fraternity in recent years via her work with the likes of Ashley Hutchings and fellow singer-songwriter Becky Mills.
Ruth now feels that the time is right to make her debut as a solo performer in her own right and the subtly captivating Hlywing is the result, taking it’s unusual title from the Old English word for shelter and refuge.
Angell’s husband Sid Peacock supplies the sympathetic string arrangements as she unveils evocative gems such as the self penned Castle on the Hill and Little Boy Blue, a fine setting of Victorian poet Christina Rossetti’s No Roses and an affectionate revamp of a song penned by one of Ruth’s most enduring musical inspirations, Joni Mitchell’s Magdalene Laundries”.
By Chris Lubbe 19/05/2023 Inspirational Keynote Speaker
“ Truly inspiring…. Unparalleled talent….. raw vulnerability, simply sensational. ”
“ I was utterly captivated by Ruth’s music and extraordinary voice. Her singing is simply sensational. Each and every song resonated deeply with me, and ‘Castle on the Hill’ served as a brilliant introduction. However my absolute favorite is ‘Treasure’, which has been playing in my mind incessantly. I must have listened to ‘Treasure’ a hundred times, each time reaffirming my belief that Ruth possess an unparalleled talent.
I attempted to place Ruth in a category, perhaps likening her to Enya or Dido but her voice defies categorisation. Ruth’s uniqueness lies in the raw vulnerability that emanates from her singing. I found Shelter in her music during my long drive. An incredible voice and music, truly inspiring ”.
Welcome to the website of Chris Lubbe.
By Robin Denselow 12th May 2023 Songlines Magazine
” A highly original songwriter exquisite, emotional, impressive.” ****
After working with the likes of Ashley Hutchings and Rufus Wainwright, Ruth Angell finally records her debut solo album, and it proves to be an intriguing and exquisite set which shows that she’s not just a fine violinist and guitarist but a highly original songwriter whose thoughtful, emotional lyrics and melodies match her cool voice.
The title is from an old English word meaning shelter or refuge, and although there’s a sense of tranquillity to much of the album, the atmospheric songs about birds or delight in the countryside are matched against others that deal with death or the pain of those who fail to find safe refuge. The one non-original song is Joni Mitchell’s ‘Magdalene Laundries’, that powerful attack on the institutions to which unmarried mothers in Ireland were once sent, and the album also includes her haunting setting for Christina Rossetti’s contemplation of mortality, ‘No Roses’. Angell’ own songs include ‘Little Boy Blue’, a poignant lament for a child refugee who drowned trying to escape from Syria, and a glorious spooky folk-rocker, ‘Three Stags’, inspired by childhood memories from the Peak District.
Hlywing is a very impressive set overall, marred only slightly by the synths and over-lush production on some tracks.” Track to try ‘Three Stags’.
By Nigel Schofield 17th April 2023 TykesStirrings
“….a singer songwriter of range and authority….”
” If you think of Ruth Angell in terms of “plays fiddle, sings a bit”, then think again. Here she takes her place as a singer and songwriter of range and authority. The title is a medieval word indicating a place of safety and shelter and summarises the record. But these are not standard “safe, secure” places, but places which ehich offer solace and in which we find peace…..though they may be windswept peaks or bleak shorelines. Therein is translucent beauty reinforced by rugged reality, a phrase which summarises the effect of this record. Both the record and the places have an essence of integrity in the true sense of the word.
Hlywing also has something rare in a record – a narrative arc – from songs written for and inspired by her son Elvin, through lives finding joy, fulfilment and peace where others might see only struggle and adversity to acceptance of mortality.
In her sleeve note for Treasure, Ruth talks about her habit of collecting stones, shells, acorns, twigs etc when out walking- “a gift from the gods for you to keep”, as she says in another song. The album has that feel – the discovery of beauty and significance in what others might ignore and then sharing it with us. It’s an album with an eye for detail, from the observations in the lyrics to the wondrously understated arrangements, settings to display the songs, not accompaniments intended to impress in their own right. It’s a matter of vision.
Speaking of settings….the songs which are not Ruth’s include settings of poems by Thomas Carnduff and Christina Rossetti. There’s also her version of Joni Mitchell’s Magdalene Laundries. The fact that her own writing more than holds it’s own against these three is all the praise it needs.
Playing the album through on a number of occasions, I progressed from “this is lovely” to ” this is really good” to “this is great”. It is the audio equivalent of that small stream-polished pebble you picked up once, attracted by it’s mica-glints and entranced by the natural perfection of it’s smoothness: you know the one you have treasured since that first encounter…”
By Ian Maun courtesy of Caught in the Act on-line magazine by Geoff Wall April 2023
” …. voice like a fine single malt, pure and golden with a touch of smokiness.”
” That said, you could get drunk on a bottle of Hlywing, her latest album. …… a mesmerisingly beautiful set of songs. Ruth’s ethereal voice lends a dream-like quality to Castle On The Hill. It hovers over the landscape through which she is passing on her way back from the city to her native green Derbyshire….. The Boathouse starts gently then develops into an upbeat Carpenters-like number in which we hear our first mention of ‘shelter’, something which is obviously important to Ruth. Her voice swirls like a northerly wind…… Soft and rich strings form a velvet background to Ruth’s voice…..Treasure is a hymn to all things small and precious, from a pebble to a member of the family. It concentrates on the value of life and appreciating what is near to us…..Magdalene Laundries……The gentleness of the tune has an ironic innocence in relation to the harshness of the words, while luscious strings create an atmosphere of goodness, similarly belied by what the lyrics relate. Ruth’s taste for irony adds strength and passions to Joni Mitchell’s lyrics…… Ruth delivers her vocal gently and perfectly, her voice like a peal of bells…… In The Vale Of Contemplation…is a hymn-like paean extolling the beauties of nature and the religious feeling of connection and love that such contemplation brings. It’s beautiful. …. This is an album of subtlety and restraint but it is also an album of passion….. Her sympathy for the poor, the oppressed and the discarded of society are very much to the fore. The world might be a better place if Ruth were in charge. “
Please click here for the full unedited review: http://www.siiye.co.uk/E77/PAGE_111.html
RnR Magazine Oz Hardwick 23rd March 2023
” Contemporary songwriting at it’s best.” *****
” Having admired her work with other artists – most notably alongside Ashley Hutchings in diverse projects – for nigh on 20 years, it’s hard to believe that this is Ruth Angell’s first solo album. But here it is, it’s title an Old English word suggesting refuge and protection, it’s songs and arrangement opening the door to welcome the wanderer in from the cold. With nine original compositions and a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘The Magdalene Laundries’ , Hlywing revolves around ideas of home, belonging and nurturing – and the need for them when they are absent. The wonder of childhood is evoked with both immediacy and knowing distance, places are treasured even as they change, and the breath of those who have passed steams in the air. These are songs to get to know over time, but which nonetheless shimmer with immediacy. Angell carries the depth of a song lightly within some of the strongest arrangements I’ve heard in a long time: a touch of Robert Kirby here, a nod of Albion Band there, and ‘Three Stags’ is reminiscent of Spriguns in it’s old-school coruscating folk-rockery. Contemporary songwriting at it’s best.”
The Daily Mirror Garry Bushell 17th March 2023
” …. A voice of immaculate beauty.”
” The title is old English for shelter. Apt. Classically trained violinist Ruth creates a sonic refuge from modern madness on these 10 stunning tracks. Known on the folk circuit for her work with Rainbow Chasers, she has a voice of immaculate beauty. Wistful gems like Castle On The Hill are musical escape hatches. Calm and remarkable.”
Peter Slavid Folk London magazine 16th March 2023
” ….. Angell has a glorious voice that shines out …..” *****
” I first came across Ruth Angell as a member of the outstanding Birmingham based jazz/roots big band Surge Orchestra, run by her now husband, Sid Peacock. It’s an indication of her level of musicianship and classical training that she was a full member of that operation. Later I came to know her as a folk musician playing with The Froe, in a duo with Becky Mills who did a fine gig at Uxbridge Folk Club, and notably with Ashely Hutchings. This album consists of nine of her compositions, two of them built on existing poems, plus one wonderful Joni Mitchell song. The album title is an old English word meaning “shelter”. That theme of shelter is never far away, not least in Mitchell’s Magdalene Laundries, which tells of how the idea was abused in the infamous institutions: “Fallen women sentenced into dreamless drudgery / Why do they call this heartless place Our Lady of Charity? Shipyard Fairy is a setting of a charming poem by the Northern Irish poet Thomas Carnduff. No Roses by Christina Rossetti is a well known bereavement poem which has been a much analysed exam set text and has been put to music dozens of times. It’s more usually known under the title When I Am Dead My Dearest, and compositions have come from luminaries including John Ireland, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Ralph Vaughan Williams. This arrangement, with some delicious piano from Steve Tromans, can stand comparison with any of them. Set to a rock rhythm, the track Three Stags’ evokes a vivid picture of The Three Stags’ Heads, a real pub near where Angell grew up, with a larger-than-life landlord who died last year. And Little Boy Blue is not the nursery rhyme you might expect (although it does quote from it). Instead it’s the story of Alan Kurdi, the two-year-old boy who drowned in 2015 trying to reach the island of Kos. His picture went around the world. ” Little Boy Blue / Laid on the sand / All for the lack of an / Outstretched hand.” Angell has a glorious voice that shines out in all these songs whether poetic or powerful. This is a fine album indeed, and I can only agree with Hutchings, who has already described it as ” truly wonderful”.
Choice Magazine Simon Evans 16th March 2023
” ….. mightily impressive debut….. “
” ….. beguiling debut album…..with it’s delicate textures and lyrics rooted deep in landscape and memory. …. it’s a sign of the quality of Ruth ‘s compositions that the single cover version, Joni Mitchell’s Magdalene Laundries , certainly does not sound out of place. Yes, they are that good, especially the closing track, In The Vale Of Contemplation … has all the hallmarks of a classic. ”
Please click here for the full unedited reveiw: https://www.choicemag.co.uk/category/enjoy_life/march_2023_music
Lancashire Post https://www.lep.co.uk/ 15th March 2023.
” This is evocative and subtly crafted folk fare from classically trained singer songwriter and fiddler Angell including a fine cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Magdalene Laundries”.
Dimitry M. Epstein Canada based rock journalist dmme.net Let it Rock 13th March 2023.
” A miracle of an album, Hlywing is simply sublime.” *****
“…..English folk-shifting chanteuse finds her way to a welcoming home….marry’s earthly experience to a celestial melody and establishes an eternal presence in the audience’s psyche……Hlywing can seem entrancing and endearing, but it’s also immensely deep in terms of feminine, wifely and motherly feelings……Angell’s album will offer a spiritually consoled heartbreak…..blood boiling compassion…..assured, intense and utterly captivating.”
Please click here for the full unedited review: https://dmme.net/ruth-angell-hlywing/
Simon Jones on 27th February 2023 for Spiral Earth.
” A remarkable debut.” *****
“…there is so much here to admire….there’s a feeling of Englishness in the same way that say, the Beatles “Blackbird” or “She’s Leaving Home” have. Her compositions are bucolic with hints of rurality that anchor a sense of place and contentment across the album…..This is music to escape with….and lose yourself…..a sensitive, meaningful recording stacked with emotions and nuance beyond anything obvious…..rather special.”
Please click here for the full unedited review: https://spiralearth.co.uk/hlywing-ruth-angell/
Zena Grieg on 20th February 2023 Penny Black Music
“Enthralling strings laden debut album….evocative, melodious”
Please click here for the full review: https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?Id=27571
By Mike Ainscoe on 3rd February 2023 At The Barrier : Live music, reviews and opinion
“A solo debut from Ruth Angell which redefines sublime.”
“As a marker, it sets a high standard that is maintained and often surpassed………….the spot is well and truly hit and heartstrings are plucked with a rare tenderness with the combination of No Roses and In The Vale Of Contemplation. Both are exquisitely played and sung……it’s a hard heart that’s not touched by these 7&1/2 minutes of music and words…..the latter should surely topple Enya in the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack as Frodo heads off to the undying lands….an exemplary debut”
Please click here for the full unedited review: https://atthebarrier.com/2023/02/03/ruth-angell-hlywing-album-review/
By Allan Wilkinson on 23rd January 2023 My Northern Skies Music Archive and Radio Show.
” …. the voice of a convincing storyteller….”
” Hlywing…focuses on atmosphere, with slick arrangements throughout. The songs are for the most part gentle, yet each is infused with a powerful punch. Ruth’s violin weaving in and out of focus, allowing the orchestral passages and Knopfler – like guitars plenty of scope, notably on the sublime ‘Little Boy Blue’. Ruth’s voice is consistently her own, the voice of a convincing storyteller, but also a voice of elegance, demonstrated midway through ‘Shipyard Fairy’. It’s easy to drift away to these songs, their smooth calming timbre leaving any sharp edges out of harm’s way”.
Please click here for the full unedited review: https://mynorthernskies.com/2023/01/06/music-reviews-2023/