Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10
The thought of Deliverance can run very deep, even in those that perhaps shun away from a society that might ridicule their beliefs and place their dreams into a box with a single x attached to its side; deliverance, sanctuary and the chance to be yourself in escapism are all notable and worthy aspects for those that really want to be different, want to have their own script to work from. It is the sign of a free person that aspires to the act of deliverance.
As Welsh singer-songwriter Steve Logan progresses through the songs on Deliverance, the follow up to his 2014 solo album Signs and Wonders, the act of rescue becomes apparent, the mission is of one with the sound, to not only guide the listener through the minefield and bogged down close quarter feel of moments of insecurity, but to offer the next part, the often missed emotion in the 21st Century – hope!
Whilst the album takes time to truly get into, there is no doubting the sincerity of personal truth that comes across in waves, the feeling of having lived through the times in which he writes so well and that the song is not a platitude in which playact within as many are oft to do.
If an album cover can paint as many words as the lyrics to a set of songs can, then the very act of leaning against a wall with nonchalant expression whilst a Banksy-esque soldier takes careful aim at Steve Logan’s head is something that adds to the make-up and sincerity of the recording. Truth is, as they say, not to be afraid, to not show them that even in the midst of oppression that you are scared of them; and as the picture, so to the songs convey that message of standing form against the cruel and cowardly.
Tracks such as Didn’t Even Listen to Myself, Long Way From Home, Just The Way Your Heart Beats and Small Town Blues all capture that emotion, that feeling of the unyielding but also the trepidation in what making a stand actually means. Not everybody will thank you for it, the secret is to be with those who will argue with you in numbers, but as in the overwhelming unseen thought that parades through Small Town Blues, liberty can be achieved by one person, it just takes one act of Deliverance in which to make it happen.
Deliverance is a very cool album in which a personal truth is on offer, enjoyable and thought provoking.
Ian D. Hall