Where There’s Hope, the debut album of singer/songwriter Martin Reynolds, is a resolute and defiant call for a better, more optimistic outlook towards the hopelessly gloomy situation we all find ourselves in. Penned during the first few weeks of lockdown, the album is replete with catchy guitar driven pop and country melodies each filled with impassioned lyrics that are simple yet endearing. It’s that sunshine kind of pop music, seemingly needlessly uplifting but necessary nonetheless. Influenced by a swathe of singer-songwriters and classic rock outfits with storied histories such as Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, or Neil Young, you can tell he’s got tradition up to his sleeves.
On the very first song, you can tell that Martin’s adoration and influence of Dylan is striking. With a chord progression much like ‘The Times They Are-a Changing’, ‘Strange Days Indeed’ is a Dylan equivalent almost. And Martin’s voice is also as strangely intonated and varied as the fabled Nobel laureate himself. On ‘God Bless This Broken Road’, he entirely changes his delivery, bringing out a more lackadaisical and casual style. The sunshiny guitar, the bittersweet optimism, and the uplifting folk that Martin espouses is indeed a wave of smiles these days.
Reynolds story is an interesting one itself, he wasn’t the lifelong singer-songwriting vagabond that you might imagine. As a consequence of restrictions being penned onto most of us last March, Reynolds, the drummer for cult Tamworth-based grunge/blues duo You Dirty Blue, decided to flip his own script and make a solo album that would be entirely his own. Recorded in what he dubs his sanctuary, the now defunct Silky Studios, ‘Where There’s Hope’ represents a revival of the kind of timeless and endearing poptimism brought to life first in the 1960s. Reynolds’ sincerity and dedication to that era was so resonant with me, somehow who grew up on Dylan. It’s his own love letter to a bygone era, one that takes shape through ten mellifluous tracks.
From start to finish, Martin doesn’t try to change who he is or what he’s trying to create. The acoustic is front and centre, his slightly wayward voice remains changing with each track ever so slightly. The lyrics are grounded but relatable, the kind that you can’t help but sing along to with each passing listen. There are some melancholic ones, some chirpier ones, but all in all the theme of optimism in a time of pessimism remains core. Special mention to the closing track, ‘The Sky Ain’t The Limit’, a slow growing belter that even uses some sounds from the harmonica to further emulate the Dylan style.
‘Where There’s Hope’ isn’t just mindless optimism, it’s necessary optimism. Rooted in melodies that are earnest and grounded, not fantastical and needless, it’s got a bit of nostalgia in its soundscapes to contrast its clearly modern theme.
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