Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Martha Reich really knows how to grab the attention. Whether she is performing live in front of wide eyed strangers or coming through the ether via the stereo, Martha Reich has it all going on and it is down to a voice that just somehow gets more captivating each time you are privileged to hear it.

Under the banner of Peace Harvest, 2014’s God’s Eyes and I’d Rather Be Surprised resonate with clarity and musical precision, they offer a huge insight into the thoughts of a woman that many this side of the vast ocean may not have heard of but to whom so much should be written about.

There is a gentleness that catches the listener unaware, a serene calmness that flows through the air as if caught on the aftermath of an exhausted butterfly’s wings and yet the lyrical repose that encloses the music is heated with passion and the exacting dichotomy, of the softness and the wonderful harsh reality, is enough to galvanise the spirit and dream of untouched worlds in which to place your footprint in the dirt.

Both God’s Eyes and I’d Rather Be Surprised take the listener on a trail of discovery that is both enjoyable and enlightening, a small but significant peek into the heart of the artist from Santa Fe and one that is informal but not without a certain manner of the ceremonial attached to it. This especially comes across in the song I’d Rather Be Surprised and the deep message of bliss that rolls into place as the ukulele entwines itself around the luxury of Michael Kott’s dramatic sounding cello.

Martha Reich is a very talented woman, one to whom more acknowledgement should be made, it is with hope that like so many of her compatriots that have made the transition across the pond. Ms. Reich can also achieve greater musical prowess here in the coming years; on the evidence of both the songs that come under the Peace Harvest title, it is a hopeful mouth watering prospect.

Ian D. Hall