In the garden of song
Welsh singer and harpist Georgia Ruth goes back to her roots for a sublime new album
Mai
Georgia Ruth
Bubblewrap Collective BWR051CD
Mai is an exquisite third album by Welsh singer/harpist Georgia Ruth – and it could be the sound of an artist really hitting her stride.
Having won a Welsh Music Prize for her 2013 debut album Week of Pines, and praise for the album Fossil Scale in 2016, Mai was her artistic response to moving back to her hometown after the birth of her son. It is rich in musings on the natural world and life cycles, percolating with a quiet joy; it’s very likely to appeal to classical music fans who also love country music, gardening and gently optimistic ‘indie’ rock. As well as singing delicately in Welsh and English, Ruth plays a huge range of instruments on what is largely original material, except for the title track by Eifion Wyn – a Welsh May song of sorts.
Since it’s so lovingly embellished with richly floral imagery, listening to Mai is like getting agreeably lost in a beautiful garden of flowers, some nodding gently in soft summer breeze, others bobbing brightly. A highlight of the year? Check it out, and decide whether you agree. ★★★★★