Storyteller Part I By Walter Holland

 

Storyteller Part I

By

Walter Holland

Written by

Andy Rogers

Walter Holland is a man of many talents… a highly regarded artist with works exhibited widely across the USA, an engineer/producer and lastly a respected musician whose music reflects his influences such as Pink Floyd, Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Steeleye Span. Having been making music since the 1980s, in 2019 & 2020 he turned his attention to a more traditional folk sound and produced two albums, Storyteller, parts 1 and 2

Storyteller Part I begins with an instrumental track, A Highland Welcome as we walk with the sounds of nature from heathland to seashore. This leads straight into City of Chicago, a contemporary folk/rock track that to me has something of Harry Chapin about its vocals.

Next up is Fareweel tai Fiunary a lovely slow paced tune with some wonderful harmonies on the chorus, whereas Amang the Bonnie Winding Banks opens with more nature sounds before becoming “an old traditional lament for bagpipes, mellotron and electric guitar that we just wrote”.. That describes it perfectly!

Track 5 is Ca’ the Ewes, a Robert Burns poem performed as if it were an out-take from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. This is followed by The Three Ravens (Revisited), this is another instrumental arrangement, and features layers of guitars (acoustic then electric) with occasional cello … all rather beautiful.

Next is a wonderful folk-ballad From Clare to Here composed by Ralph McTell it tells the story of a young man leaving home in Clare to find work abroad. Walter’s performance is both moving and sensitive.

Track 8 Fear A’ Bhata is a sad song reflecting on lost love with the sound of Harpsichord and strings giving an almost medieval feel to the music. As we head towards the last parts of the album we find Poor Wayfaring Stranger this is the well-known American 19^th century folk/gospel song about a lost soul on the journey through life. It works really well here with a backing of guitar and sympathetic strings.

The penultimate track on the album is called Ride On, an up-tempo yet ultimately sad tune featuring insistent electronic figure over strings and guitar, a tale of someone who can never “go with you no matter how I wanted to”- we’ve all been there.

The album ends with If I was a Blackbird, another tale of lost unrequited love featuring emotive lyrics, guitars and string accompaniment with Walter’s plaintive vocals to the fore.

Walter Holland was a new name to me before hearing this album but I was very impressed with Storyteller Part I Anyone who has any interest in acoustic music, folk music or singer songwriters will find much to enjoy here. Combining elements of folk, rock and even a dash of Prog this is an excellent album.