'Till I Reach The Sea

Martha Tilston

'Till I reach The Sea is currently an I-tunes only release from Martha Tilston, the gifted offspring of another family synonymous with musical talent. It's a seven track mini-album and it acts as something of an introduction to her music being 'a selection of songs taken from Martha's albums past, present and future'.

Since the brief life span of acoustic duo Mouse came to a halt Martha has been enjoying her own direction as a solo artist. With a growing fan base many a festival goer purchased her 'Of Milkmaids And Architects' album last year on the strength of some captivating performances.

With this being mainly made up of established material those familiar with her sound will find the contents very recognizable. It's accessible and folksy but broad enough to include shades of other genres such as pop and world music. As well as her regular band she's had an army of musicians and instruments playing a supporting role over the years and these tracks get the full treatment.

If the cynic in me was ever around I would think of Martha as a little contrived, a composite of other folk icons, mainly ones who were at the peak of their powers in the sixties. It was only after seeing her play and actually listening to her music (often helps!) that my doubts subsided. The odd track can still sound a little laboured to my ears but my guard is well and truly down.

'Artificial' has a luxurious surround-sound enveloping the listener with it's indelible chorus. Then the rollercoaster of loves vagaries are recalled with a tangible accuracy on 'Firefly' and the new track 'Symphonies & Vans'. It's on the latter where she gets carried away with thoughts of 'her man' claiming she can 'see my children in his eyes'.

Things take a turn towards the exotic for 'The Architect' with it's writhing eastern melody and subtle beats it make a big impression.

Martha is another strong expressive artist for us to admire. Drawing inspiration from classic storytelling she has become a modern day minstrel playing rococo folk, full of frills and sumptuous detail.


Dave Kushar