The approach to BEDLAM has been for Kelly to work with three
different producers, each bringing a slightly different facet to the album.
What binds the record together is the voice of Kelly perfectly finding its
pitch and the fact that her writing presence is embedded within each song. A
clear trait of the sound is the refreshing way that Kelly adds a youthful vibe
to what is quintessentially a traditional folk way of song delivery. Yet there
is a strong reach out to sceptics who may not associate this in a contemporary
context.
Probably the most prominent input from the outsiders is the
production steer of Nigel Stonier giving two of the tracks a distinctly
commercial edge. This is likely to be in outreach rather than lucrative terms
at the moment, but both ‘Jericho’ and
‘Rio’ have already been sectioned off
for prime promotion in advance of the album getting a more thorough campaign in
the guise of Kelly’s extensive spring tour. At this point it is worth
commending her as one of the folk scenes busiest artists, with countless gigs,
radio slots and a savvy approach to utilising the unlimited potential of social
media promotion. In fact unlimited potential can also be attached to the future
of Kelly as a singer-songwriter matched with her instinct for innovation and inspiration.
Stu Hanna of husband and wife folk duo Megson takes the
reins for the production of four songs including the punchy opening title
track ‘Bedlam’. He was also at the
helm for one of Kelly’s solo writes in ‘Miles
to Tralee’, another track that has previously surfaced on a Folkstock
compilation album and another to have the promotional benefit of a video. Joining
the fray on another Stu Hanna produced song is his wife Debbie who adds backing
vocals to ‘Same World’. Extending the
family and backing vocal theme, it is
also worth noting that Thea Gilmore, the spouse of Nigel Stonier, makes a
contribution on the aforementioned ‘Rio’.
One of the other named players on the album is fiddle player
Ciaran Algar who joins the other talented musicians on ‘Jericho’, for what personally emerges as the rousing stand-out track.
This is one of the numbers to benefit from a short interlude of Kelly’s harmonica
playing. This also occurs on ‘In the City’
which heads a quartet of songs produced by the album’s third production
architect Lauren Deakin Davies. Lauren was previously in solo control of Kelly’s
debut album THIS LAND and perfectly strikes the balance on BEDLAM by creating a
finely tuned infrastructure to fully exploit the strength of Kelly’s vocal
ability. These tracks are enhanced by the subtle double bass playing of Lukas
Drinkwater.
Ultimately BEDLAM comes across as a precision measured piece
of work, delicately balancing all the input variables to create a record gift
wrapped for the listener. The challenge to buy into the talents of Kelly Oliver
will not be too difficult for fans of folk and roots music far and wide. The
opportunity also exists for her youthful enthusiasm and approach to widen the pool of inclusion.
Order the album
www.kellyoliver.co.uk
