After she released her third album, “Stories From Beneath”, in 2004, Maryen moved to Springbrook Mountain, Gold Coast, Queensland, to raise her family on an off-the-grid mountaintop. Here she instigated and ran an annual one-day festival, ‘The Mfest – Celebration of Motherhood and the Creativity of Women’ (2007 – 2017), and in 2012 recorded her fourth album. Apart from two numbers it was recorded totally at home by Maryen, who provided who provided not only vocals but piano, acoustic guitar, bodhran, treble recorder, percussion, and strings. There were some challenging times as this was recorded in a place where there was no electricity apart from what they produced themselves by a generator as they were living in a yurt. There were a few issues discovered by Rob Feaster when he was called upon to undertake the mix, but the end result is something quite special indeed.
I first wrote about Maryen more than 25 years ago, but we actually only got in contact over the last year, and discovering the albums she has released in between times has been an absolute delight, with this one being quite different in so many ways. Recording at home, in an environment where there was less pressure and distractions, under a huge sky, has led to an album which in many ways is incredibly relaxed and personal. This is really brought home by the last song on the album, “Homebirth”, where it almost feels as if we are intruding on a very special event indeed. For me it brought back so many memories of our fourth daughter, who was born at home, and while I listened to Maryen’s delicate vocals and gently picked guitar I was transported back to the other side of the world and back in time to that special event, and it felt as if it happened only yesterday.
But before we get to that we are treated to so many different styles. I love the sound of the piano, and her delicate touch on the keys, the way the recorder leads us into “Give To The Chase”, and always there is that voice. She has a wonderful style, breathy and controlled with a large range, yet while it is always the focus one never feels there is any strain or force. This is a woman sat playing music and singing to her children, her family, and to any friends who want to come along and listen. This is not someone sat on a stage with lights and amplifiers but rather is sat on her deck looking out over the chooks and animals, just being at one with nature and adding to the ambience and not overpowering it.
Maryen has a wonderful website where it is possible to listen to her music, and I encourage anyone who has yet to discover her great music, songs, and vocals to do so without delay.
Rating: 8/10
