Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
A body at rest cannot exert force upon the Universe, the mind of the unready cannot hope to push the boundaries of life anymore that a single drop of rain can bring down the structure of a mountain; and yet push enough, cause over time to bring millions of gallons down upon the lofty peak, and at some point a groove will appear, a waterfall of expression will form and become a dominant feature in which to stand and marvel at.
The force of nature is not an act of one, rebellions and revolutions are not started by just a single person, it is in the Laws Of Motion that anything that exerts pressure must accordingly give equal response, must at least find a way to bring out the battle between the mountain and the drop of water in everyday life.
In is in the mountain like force, the authority in which Karine Polwart, alongside Stephen Polwart and Inge Thomson, performs that such Laws described by Newton are made for, the sheer will of bringing a pursuit of truth to bear, of upholding the might of the peak, but understanding how reflective and the bearer of beauty that a waterfall cascading over the sturdiest of rock actually is.
Laws are there to be broken of course but in the respect of lyrical story-telling, laws must surely have some honour placed before them, they must inform, educate and entertain before they ever reach the realm of hearsay and myth. The law as ever is in place when it comes to the expression of the Folk persistence, a law upheld by Karine Polwart, a set of engaging decrees in which her music has always come to pass into the heart of the listener with ease and acceptance.
In songs such as Ophilia, the realisation of history and family ties to distant lands in I Burn But I Am Not Consumed, Cornerstone, Crow On The Cradle and the excellent Cassiopeia, Karine Polwart, Stephen Polwart and Inge Thomson bring depth and majesty to the waterfall, the mountain is but a rigid relic of time and earthquakes once shaping the land, it is in the waterfall of emotions that we should really place our trust in the Laws of Motion, that eventually emotion, the hunt for a truth and the expression of three incredible musicians can bring down the immovable object, the stony heart.
A sensationally gifted presentation of music, Karine Polwart at her very best.
Ian D. Hall