SUSY WALL
Black Lights
You can never get too much of the Black Country in my eyes, a place rich in industrial history, built upon hard work, resilience and colourful characters possessing a wonderful generosity of spirit, oh, and a bostin’ good dialect too. Having lived there for a quarter of a century, singer-songwriter Susy Wall is well-placed to celebrate and focus on “the wonderful creativity found in the Black Country, seen through the perspective of some of its people and places”, which is exactly what her second full-length album, ‘Black Lights’, succeeds in doing.
Initially inspired by local poet Liz Berry and photographer Tom Hicks, the release was made possible thanks to funding from both an Arts Council England grant and a Crowdfunder campaign.
The two spoken poetry interludes, delivered with their local accents to the fore, will perhaps enable the listener to identify most readily with the locality, although closer inspection of the subject matter of the 11 songs will reveal references to the glass industry, including the manufacture of lighthouse optics, canals, local pastoral idylls, yes they do exist in the Black Country, childhood vocabulary, a tribute to the man who oversaw and built the highest war memorial in Britain, and the harrowing tale of youngsters sent from Children’s Emigration Homes to the rural communities of Ontario and the Maritime Provinces of Canada.
For music trivia aficionados, Susy’s DADGAD guitar tuning used on the Dereliction track pays homage to Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir, a fitting tribute to Black Country legend Robert Plant.
Musically, the album is an absolute treat. Susie’s song-writing skills are from the top drawer, she possesses an exceptional singing voice and guest musicians of the calibre of Aaron Catlow on fiddle and John Parker’s double bass only add to the quality on offer.
‘Black Lights’ is a fitting musical tribute to aspects of the Black Country and its heritage, and warrants investigation.
