After gigging around London and recording two solo albums, Maryen decided it was time to go home, where she became a mother. After a while she decided she should be encouraging original music, so started and hosted Sydney Songwriters, which was Sydney’s first “Original’s Only” Open-Mic night. Then in 2004 she finally released her third album, the first one in her home country. This album has far more in common with her current material than the album which preceded it, as here it is mostly Maryen and acoustic guitars. There are a few more instruments here and there where needed, and some songs are actually poems with music, but what ties it all together is the sheer beauty of the music combined with her passionate vocals. Here she is more direct in her singing style, less vocal gymnastics, more mature as befits someone who had flown to one side of the world to gain experience, flown back again and become a mother and then taken up her music once again.

In many ways this feels like a rebirth, as if it is a debut album by someone who has returned to her roots with acoustic instruments and very powerful songs. Listen to the words of “Voices From Scotland”, where she was actually born but now feels like she just doesn’t belong as she was raised on the other side of the world, a place she was again calling home at the time of this recording (this globetrotter now lives in Guernsey!). Mind you, she says she is a “Scottish Aussie lass who hears voices in her head”, which is a great description, and I have made a mental note to buy her organic beer when we meet up. There are times when I feel I am sat in her parlour, as she plays her guitar (or piano), often just with that amazing voice for company. It is the sheer definition of simplicity and it is all the better for it. She has a knack for bringing listeners into her life, making the stories so very real indeed, and she captures us from the beginning where she speaks the story of the man in her life and what she feels about him, before getting into the song itself. That is quite a powerful beginning to any album.

I feel so fortunate to have got back in touch with Maryen after so many years, and I only hope that more people investigate her informative website and her amazing music, as here is a very special talent indeed.

Rating: 9/10

Links:
https://maryencairns.com/